Modi leaves after meeting with Nawaz in 'surprise visit' to Pakistan

LAHORE: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for India after making a surprise stopover in Pakistan on Friday to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif, the first visit of an Indian premier to the country in over a decade.

Sharif hugged Modi after he landed at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and took him to his residence in Raiwaind, where wedding ceremony of his granddaughter was being held.

The two leaders reportedly discussed a range of bilateral issues, including Kashmir during their meeting there.

Modi was on his way home after a visit to Russia. He stopped off in the Afghanistan capital Kabul earlier on Friday.

Modi and Sharif resumed high-level contacts with a brief conversation at climate change talks in Paris late last month, part of efforts to restart a peace dialogue.

Narendra Modi had arrived in Pakistan at 4:30PM earlier today as part of a surprise visit. Prime Minister Sharif received his Indian counterpart along with members of the federal cabinet.

It was earlier unclear if the two leaders would hold meetings at the airport or whether they will fly to Jati Umra where the prime minister's residence Raiwind is located.

However upon his arrival at Lahore Modi disembarked from his airplane and boarded the prime ministers helicopter signaling that the two leaders will in fact be holding their meeting at the prime minister's residence in Raiwind.

Geo News also reported that the surprise meeting between the two leaders is not a surprise visit, rather it had been planned ahead of time and air traffic control in Lahore had been made aware of the plan on Thursday.

Earlier on Friday the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media to express his desire to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today.

Modi tweeted, "Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi."

Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2015

Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & wished him on his birthday.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2015