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Leaders from seven of the eight countries invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi have confirmed attendance.
“The Presidents of Afghanistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka apart from the Prime Ministers of Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan and the speaker of Bangladesh have confirmed their participation. We had invited the Prime Minister of Pakistan. We are awaiting a response,” an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.
This is the first time that an invitation to the swearing-in ceremony of an Indian Prime Minister has been extended to the leaders of all the countries from the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), he added.
Elaborate security arrangements are being made and the roads around Rashtrapati Bhawan are expected to be closed four hours before the ceremony, scheduled for 6 pm, on May 26. Nearby offices, too, are expected to remain closed after noon.
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