ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Rishi Sunak on becoming first-ever British prime minister of India origin.
Sunak's family migrated to Britain in the 1960s, a period when many people from Britain’s former colonies moved to the country to help it rebuild after the Second World War.
He is married to an Indian, Akshata Murty, the daughter of the co-founder of IT giant Infosys.
"Congratulations to @RishiSunak on his nomination as leader of the Conservative Party and next Prime Minister of the UK," PM Sharif wrote on Twitter.
"I look forward to working with him to advance shared interests and further deepen the abiding Pakistan-UK partnership."
Indian PM Narendra Modi also congratulated Sunak on winning the contest to become the leader of Britain's Conservatives.
"Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030," Modi tweeted.
Indian newspapers have been closely following Sunak's leadership bid, in the same way as when Indian-origin figures -- like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella -- become high achievers abroad.
Alongside coverage of India's victory over Pakistan at the cricket World Cup, front pages on Monday reported that the "Indian origin" Sunak was the frontrunner to replace Liz Truss.
The prospect of someone with Indian roots becoming prime minister of Britain -- India's colonial master until 75 years ago -- also enthused Indians on social media.
Shashi Tharoor, an opposition Indian lawmaker and a fierce critic of British colonialism, tweeted on Monday that Sunak winning would be a welcome achievement.
"I think all of us will have to acknowledge that the Brits have done something very rare in the world, to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office," he said.
