Sharif Calls For Warmer Ties With India, U.S.

Nawaz Sharif is set to become Pakistan's next prime minister.

Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistani politician poised to become the country's next prime minister, says he wants to ease deep-running mistrust with India.

Two days after his Pakistan Muslim League-N party won in national elections, Sharif told reporters in Lahore on May 13 that "mutual fear needs to be addressed."

He said he had spoken with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and that mutual invitations for visits had been extended.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Sharif, who served twice as prime minister before being ousted in a 1999 military coup, said he also wants to improve relations with Washington.

But he criticized the controversial U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan as "a challenge" to his nation's sovereignty.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP