NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sending his top diplomat to Pakistan as part of a regional tour, the first top-ranking visit since Modi broke off talks last year over the region of Kashmir.

The sign of a thaw in ties comes weeks after a visit to India by US President Barack Obama.

Modi called his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, early on Friday to wish his country luck in the World Cup cricket tournament beginning this weekend and to tell him that new Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyan Jaishankar will soon visit Islamabad as well as other regional capitals.

Meanwhile, Sharif has told Obama India’s permanent membership in the reformed UN Security Council is unacceptable to Pakistan as it has not complied with UN resolutions on Kashmir.

Obama called Sharif on Thursday and both leaders talked for over half-an-hour, officials in Islamabad said.

Sharif told Obama that India cannot become a UNSC permanent member due to its non-compliance of all the resolutions passed by the UN on Kashmir and has “not fulfilled the commitment to give the right of self-determination to people of Kashmir,” officials said.

“India does not deserve to be a permanent member of the UN,” Sharif was quoted as saying.

During his India visit in January, Obama had reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member.