Modi takes office as prime minister of India

The new prime minister of India, Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, took office Monday surrounded by heads of state and government from South Asia, including Pakistan, and by strong security measures.

Modi was sworn in before President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace, accompanied for the first time by leaders of the other seven countries that make up the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

The 63yearold Modi combined taking the oath of office with the launch of the new official Web site of the prime minister’s office, on which he sent a message to the nation promising “development, good government and stability.”

“Let us together dream of a strong, developed and inclusive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development,” he said.

That international aspiration was strengthened at the event by the presence of SAARC leaders including Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif, whose country has maintained a heated rivalry with India since Britain’s decolonization in 1947.

The nucleararmed neighbors have clashed in three wars and a number of minor conflicts, particularly over the sovereignty of the Kashmir region.

The swearingin was held before some 3,000 people with the protection of security forces some 10,000 strong.

Modi’s conservative BJP party achieved a major victory in the recent elections, winning 283 of the 543 seats in Parliament, and will therefore rule with an absolute majority, something that has not occurred in India since 1984.