Modi leaves Kabul for Lahore

Kabul, Dec 25: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left Kabul for Lahore, where he will meet his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif.

"Farewell Kabul! PM @narendramodi departs from Afghanistan, is seen off by CEO @DrAAbdullah," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.

In Kabul, Modi addressed the Afghan parliament after jointly inaugurating its new building with President Ashraf Ghani.

Modi will meet Sharif on the latter's birthday during a brief stopover in Lahore before heading for New Delhi

Earlier on Friday, Modi, who reached Afghanistan in the morning from Moscow, tweeted that he spoke to Sharif over telephone and greeted him on his birthday.

"Looking forward to meeting Sharif in Lahore today afternoon when I will drop by on my way back to Delhi," he tweeted taking everybody by surprise.

Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Pakistan after Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004.

IANS