The leaders are also scheduled to meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan next month

ISLAMABAD: Breaking the ice in bilateral ties, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed his desire to work together for the betterment of their peoples, Pakistan Foreign Office said.

Khan’s call to Modi came days after the cricketer-turned-politician congratulated him on Twitter on his massive electoral victory in the general elections.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that Khan also congratulated Modi on his party’s electoral victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

Reiterating his vision for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia, Khan said he looks forward to working with PM Modi to advance these objectives, Faisal said on Twitter.

The Pak PM also expressed his desire for both countries to work together for betterment of their peoples, he added.

Modi and Khan are scheduled to meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan next month.

On Saturday, Qureshi said that Pakistan is ready to hold talks with the new Indian government to resolve all outstanding issues.

Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14.

Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a counter terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured an IAF pilot, who was handed over to India.