Khurshid hopes better ties with Pakistan if Sharif becomes PM

External affairs minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday hoped that India will continue to have good relations with Pakistan if former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif comes to power after the general elections there.

External affairs minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday hoped that India will continue to have good relations with Pakistan if former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif comes to power after the general elections there.

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"India welcomes whatever result that comes out of a democratic election. Our government has had relations with Nawaz Sharif. From Prime Minister's side also congratulations will be offered to him," Khurshid said.

"I hope we can continue to have good relations if he comes to power," he said.

Sharif was on Sunday set for a third term as Pakistan's Prime Minister as his PML-N party took a massive lead over its rivals in early poll results, making a remarkable comeback after having been toppled in a military coup in 1999 and sent into exile. He returned to Pakistan shortly before the 2008 polls and rebuilt his party.

However, as per Pakistan TV projections, no single party would win a simple majority of 172 seats in the 342-member National Assembly.

Sharif's centre-right Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) was leading the race with 126 seats and Khan's Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had 34.