India PM Modi in surprise Pakistan visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after landing in the Pakistani city of Lahore on a surprise visit.

Mr Modi was on his way back to India from Afghanistan when he stopped off. The visit coincides with the Pakistani prime minister's birthday.

Mr Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Pakistan since 2004.

Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have been high in recent years but relations have begun to warm.

The pair met briefly in Paris last month on the sidelines of the COP21 climate change conference.

The two men hugged after Mr Modi arrived at Allama Iqbal International Airport, before making their way to Mr Sharif's nearby estate.

They are expected to discuss military and trade matters.
Flashpoint border

Mr Modi, a Hindu nationalist, came to power in 2014 and has tried to help raise India's international profile.

The two countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.

Kashmir, claimed by both countries in its entirety, has been a flashpoint for more than 60 years.

A ceasefire agreed in 2003 remains in place, but the neighbours often accuse each other of violating it.