Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has written a letter to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, pitching for "meaningful" engagement between the two countries, Aaj News reported on Sunday.

The premier's communication came in response to a letter sent by Modi congratulating him on becoming the prime minister.

Shehbaz, who won the election for premiership after Imran Khan’s ouster, said, “We have to work for peace and harmony in the region."

In his reply to Modi’s letter, PM Shehbaz sought resolution of the outstanding issues, including that of Kashmir, while maintaining that Pakistan favours peaceful and cooperative ties with India.

In his letter a few days ago, Modi conveyed to Sharif that India desired constructive ties with Pakistan.

On April 11 in a Twitter post, Modi congratulated Shehbaz on becoming the prime minister of Pakistan and said India desires peace and stability in a region free of terrorism.

“Congratulations to H. E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people,” he had tweeted.

Responding to this, Shehbaz tweeted: “Pakistan desires peaceful & cooperative ties with India. Peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu & Kashmir is indispensable. Pakistan’s sacrifices in fighting terrorism are well-known. Let’s secure peace and focus on socio-economic development of our people.”

Relations between the two nuclear-armed countries have been strained ever since the Modi-led administration abrogated the Article 370 on August 5, 2019, scrapping the special status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.