After the recent elections in Pakistan, Imran Khan is preparing to take oath as Prime Minister on August 11. Meanwhile, the Indian Government has also started preparations to the response for the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Indications are that if the formal invitation will be received, then Prime Minister Modi or some delegate on behalf of him Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj or PM will not go. Instead, it may be referred as Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar or VK Singh go there during the ceremony for a symbolic presence.
Although the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office are currently reviewing the political and diplomatic gains of this issue Highly-placed government sources on the question of invitation.
However, PM Modi gave a congratulatory message to Imran on the phone and received a positive answer from another side too. But in the last four years, the relations between the two countries are at the lower level following the conduct of Pathankot terror attack and especially with the Rajnath in the conference of SAARC Home Ministers in August 2016.
Sources said that the government will also examine the domestic environment before taking any decision on the invitation, which is currently anti-Pakistan. In such a situation, the impact of the next year's elections on Pakistan will also be taken into consideration. The possibility of sending PM Modi's representative is more likely to be received if these conditions are received.
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