Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wrote a letter to Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, extending greetings on Pakistan Day on Tuesday. As per sources quoted by news agency ANI, it is a routine letter sent every year to wish Pakistan Day.
"As a neighbouring country, India desires cordial relations with people of Pakistan, for this environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility is imperative," the letter read.
"In this difficult time, I convey wishes to you and the people of Pakistan for dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic," it read further.
Asad Umar, a senior Pakistani minister, in a post on Twitter, welcomed PM Modi's letter, calling it a "message of goodwill". He added that Imran Khan had already expressed a desire for a peaceful South Asia.
Notably, India and Pakistan are holding talks on water sharing.
Last week, the chief of Pakistan's army General Qamar Bajwa called on the two sides to 'bury the past'.
Pakistan Day is celebrated to mark the Lahore Resolution on March 23 each year. The Lahore Resolution, which is also called Pakistan Resolution, passed on March 23, 1940, is considered a major milestone in the Muslim struggle for an independent Muslim state which was later called Pakistan.
Last month, the militaries of both countries released a rare joint statement announcing a ceasefire along a disputed border in Kashmir, having exchanged fire hundreds of times in recent months.