Kabul: In a sudden development, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on Friday afternoon on his way back to New Delhi.

The Spokesperson for the Prime Minister Sharif's House confirmed that the Indian prime minister will land in Lahore within hours, The Express Tribune reported, adding that Modi's plane will land at 2:45 pm (local time) at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in the city.

According to reports, Indian High Commissioner TCA Raghavan had arrived at Lahore airport ahead of Modi's arrival.

Modi, who reached Kabul early in the morning from Moscow, tweeted that he spoke to Sharif over telephone and greeted him on his birthday.

Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Pakistan after Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004.

Modi's decision comes soon after he blamed Pakistan – although without taking the country's name – for terrorism in Afghanistan and for allegedly trying to harm India-Afghanistan ties.

(With inputs from agencies)