Sharif in saddle, seeks to ease mistrust with India

Nawaz Sharif, poised to become prime minister for a third time after a decisive victory in Pakistan’s election, said yesterday the mistrust that has long dogged relations with India must be tackled.
Sharif said he had a “long chat” with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday and the two exchanged invitations to visit — a diplomatic nicety in some parts of the world but a heavily symbolic step for South Asia’s arch-rivals.
Asked by an Indian journalist if he would invite Singh for his swearing-in as prime minister, Sharif said: “I will be very happy to extend that invitation.”
“There are fears on your side, there are fears on our side,” Sharif added during a news conference at his home on the outskirts of Lahore. “We have to seriously address this.”
Sharif said his Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N) — won enough of the 272 National Assembly seats contested in the election to rule on its own, but suggested he was open to allies joining his government.
“I am not against any coalition. But as far as Islamabad is concerned, we are ourselves in a position to form our own government,” Sharif told the news conference. “All those who share our vision, we will be happy to work with them.”
Asked about US drone strikes against militants on Pakistani soil, which many Pakistanis regard as a violation of sovereignty, he referred to it as a “challenge” to sovereignty. “We will sit with our American friends and talk to them about this issue,” he said.