India Prime Minister Modi makes surprise visit to Pakistan

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan on Friday, as the two nuclear-armed rivals show increased signs of thawing their historically fraught relationship.

Modi is the first Indian premier to visit Pakistan in more than a decade. The Hindu nationalist came to power in 2014 and has made raising India's international profile a high priority.

He was greeted warmly by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when he arrived in the city of Lahore.

Modi, who had been in Afghanistan and Russia before heading to Pakistan, first announced his plans to meet with Sharif earlier Friday on Twitter. The visit came on Sharif's birthday and as the Pakistani prime minister's family was getting ready for his granddaughter's wedding.

"Spent a warm evening with Sharif family at their family home. Nawaz Sahab's birthday & granddaughter's marriage made it a double celebration," Modi posted on his Twitter account after departing from Lahore.

The two South Asian countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of the wars over the disputed area of Kashmir.

Tensions between the countries grew after the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai in which 166 people were killed by militants trained in Pakistan.

But in recent months, there's  been warming in relations. Indian and Pakistan held talks in December in Thailand in which Kashmir was discussed. Modi and Shari met last month in Paris on the sidelines of a major climate conference. And earlier this month, India's external affairs minister traveled to Pakistan for a meeting on Afghanistan.

State television showed the two men hugging when they met on the airport tarmac upon Modi's arrival to Pakistan. Modi spent a few hours at Sharif's family estate in Lahore before returning to India. Modi also offered a blessing to Sharif's granddaughter.

The two leaders agreed to continue bilateral talks in the future, said Aizaz Chaudhary, Pakistan's foreign minister, the Financial Times reported.

The visit did not sit well with India's opposition Congress Party, which argued that Pakistan had not taken any steps to warrant such a visit by Modi. High-level talks had been planned for August but were canceled after a cease-fire violation in Kashmir.

"If the decision is not preposterous, then it is utterly ridiculous," Congress leader Manish Tewari said of Modi's visit, Reuters reported.