India in Pakistan at Modi's swearing-in ceremony

After a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in with a new cabinet on Thursday for a second consecutive term. About 8,000 guests were present, with a notable absence – Pakistan.

The guest list included world leaders, foreign dignitaries, politicians, celebrities and industrialists attending the swearing-in ceremony in front of the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan Royal Palace in the capital.

President Ram Nath Kovind, 68, was sworn in on Modi, 68, to get on the podium and hear the public's songs "Modi, Modi".

BJP seat transport
The National Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power with 352 seats in the Lok Sabha or parliamentary elections. The BJP alone won 303 seats out of 543 deputies.

The leaders of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan – all members of the relatively unknown Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) – attended to swearing.

In a diplomatic gesture carefully calibrated by inviting a host of foreign dignitaries, India has managed to highlight the policy of "neighborhood first" and to highlight its influence with the countries of Central Asia.

The Mauritian Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, a close ally, was also present five years ago.

India has taken into account its plans for the region to create a secure maritime front. The inclusion of Kyrgyzstan indicates that India's foreign policy extends beyond its immediate neighborhood. In Thailand, his special envoy, Grisada Boonrach, represented the country at the ceremony and the President of Myanmar, U Win Myint, was present.

After India refused to attend the South Asia Regional Cooperation Association (SAARC) summit in Pakistan in 2016, New Delhi toured the country. towards BIMSTEC as a regional integration solution within the Pan-South Asian group.

With a quarter of the world's traded goods crossing the Bay of Bengal each year and untapped resources, the region has the potential to become a force to be reckoned with.

"This initiative to reach the BIMSTEC countries is well thought out. Prime Minister Modi sends a strong message: he can conduct his foreign policy without Pakistan and isolate him on the international scene, "said foreign policy badyst Manish Chand.

Pakistan frozen
In 2014, Modi had invited all SAARC leaders, including former Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, to participate in his swearing-in ceremony as part of an initiative. aimed at establishing a dialogue with neighboring countries.

But since the terrorist attacks of 2016 in Indian-administered Kashmir against the cantonment of the army, relations between the two countries have entered a deep freeze.

India has reported the strengthening of other regional blocks, such as BIMSTEC, instead of working within SAARC, which has not yet gained momentum as Pakistan has refused to. #############################################> To act against terrorist networks operating from within its territory.

Although Pakistani Prime Minister Khan called Modi over the weekend to congratulate him on his victory, no invitation was issued – this indicates that the links have not been released.

Foreign Ministry officials said it was unlikely that relations between nuclear-armed neighbors would warm up quickly.

During his election campaign, Modi focused on national security issues, including an anti-terrorist operation at the largest terrorist training camp in the Balakot region of Pakistan. Critics point out that, by fueling nationalist sentiment, Modi has been able to portray himself as "the strong man" of India, able to secure the country's borders.

Pakistan attempted to downplay India's decision not to invite Imran Khan to the swearing-in ceremony, claiming that the "domestic policy" of the Indian prime minister did not allow him to invite his Pakistani counterpart.

"His entire campaign (during the election campaign) was focused on Pakistan. It was unwise to expect him to get rid of this story soon, "said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, quoted by Dawn News.

"India's domestic policy did not allow it to issue an invitation," Qureshi said.

Narendra Modi and Imran Khan will attend the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, in mid-June, but no decision has yet been taken by the government. India on a meeting between the two leaders.