Nawaz calls Modi, appreciates India's rescue efforts in Nepal

In a series of tweets posted on his official Twitter account on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after the latter called him and appreciated India's efforts in the rescue operations in quake-hit Nepal.

Modi said Nawaz had also expressed condolences for those who had lost their lives in the earthquake that also hit various parts of India.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, PM Nawaz said that Pakistan and its people express support and solidarity with the government and people of India, and are ready to extend every possible assistance needed.

PM Nawaz also reiterated what he had said during last year’s floods in Pakistan and India that natural disasters of this nature highlight the importance of a joint regional approach for their effective management, the FO said.

The Indian premier said that during the conversation he had suggested that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations should hold routine joint exercises pertaining to disaster relief and rescue.

He added that Saarc nations could collaborate and hold such annual exercises for rescue teams and doctors and work on measures to reduce damage during natural disasters.

Modi said Nawaz had appreciated the idea and told him that such an initiative should indeed be taken up.

The two leaders also discussed the detrimental effect of unseasonal rains on crops.

Modi’s tweets come barely a day after an interview quoted Nawaz as saying that India had failed to respond to Pakistan's desire for good relations.

Take a look: No sign of India resuming dialogue with Pakistan: PM Nawaz Sharif

Bilateral ties went into a freeze after Pakistan’s High Commissioner Abdul Basit held meetings with the Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders last year which annoyed the Indian foreign ministry. Since then, the two sides have taken tentative steps towards a possible resumption in dialogue, with Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar visiting Islamabad for talks with his Pakistani counterpart. However, there has been little sign of progress in ties.

Read: India, Pakistan ties: Modi cites Simla, Lahore pacts for talks

Earlier this month however, Modi had said that “the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration have to be the basis for going forward”, referring to two bilateral treaties agreed between the troubled neighbours to normalise relations and curb a nuclear arms race in South Asia.