Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Vladimir Putin quietly exchange letters to strengthen ties: Report

Islamabad, April 24

Pakistan’s new PM Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin have quietly exchanged letters to strengthen bilateral relations, a media report said on Sunday, amid allegations by Imran Khan that his maiden visit to Moscow, much against Washington’s wishes, led to his ouster.

The letters were exchanged after the election of Shehbaz as PM, but both sides kept development away from the media glare in what seemed to be a move aimed at avoiding any public attention, The Express Tribune reported.

A senior Pakistan foreign office official confirmed to the newspaper that President Putin wrote a letter to the PM, congratulating him on his election.

The official, who requested not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Putin expressed his desire to deepen cooperation between the two countries. —