AMRITSAR, India, May 8: Thirteen Pakistani parliamentarians arrived in India on Thursday on a week-long unofficial peace mission that is expected to include high-level meetings at the parliament in New Delhi.

The legislators were garlanded by local officials after crossing the Wagha border point, as well-wishers chanted slogans calling for friendship between the two neighbouring countries.

The visit has come at a time when peace overtures between India and Pakistan have started after a stand-off for 17 months.

The lawmakers were to be given a formal welcome by officials in the nearby Indian city of Amritsar, where they are expected to visit the Golden Temple — the most important shrine of the Sikhs.

On Friday, the delegation is expected to meet the speaker of India’s parliament Manohar Joshi and two parliamentary delegations in New Delhi.

The visit by the delegation comes amid a sudden thaw in bilateral relations.

Nasir Jamal adds from Lahore: The delegation that crossed into India at around 12.25pm comprised senators and MNAs representing all parts of the country including Fata. Senator Dr Khalid Ranjha dropped out of the delegation at the eleventh hour for some unexplained reason while Senator Roshan Barucha from Balochistan could not travel because of a death in the family.

A number of peace activists and members of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum, sponsors of the visit, were present at Wagha to see off the delegates. The delegates were showered with rose petals and garlanded by the activists before they crossed over into India.

Thy were warmly greeted on the Indian side amidst slogans of “Long live Pak-India friendship”.

Before the border crossing, MNA Ishaq Khan Khakwani, who is coordinating the visit, told reporters that the visit was part of efforts aimed at promotion of peace in the region. “It is a private visit and the government has nothing to do with it. We are going to India out of our own resources,” he said. He had been instructed by his party, the PPP, to invite Indian politicians to visit Pakistan. Besides, he added, he would also invite the Indians to participate in the Polo World Cup being organized in Lahore in December this year.

In reply to a question, he said the delegation was carrying no official message for the Indian government.

“We are public representatives and the only message we would be taking with us is the message of peace from our people,” MNA Gulab Jamal said.

Mr Khakwani said: “We chose to cross the border from Wagha to show the world that this route was also available. The affluent (people) can still travel to and from India by air. But we want this route to be opened to allow the poorer people from the two sides to visit their relatives and friends.”

On reaching New Delhi, the delegates will form three subgroups and head for Bombay, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum chairperson I.A. Rehman told reporters that the people of the two countries understood that peace was essential for their prosperity and progress. Mr Rehman said: “A visit or two cannot solve problems. But we believe that the process of dialogue between the two countries should not be discontinued. Suspension of dialogue is neither in the interest of India nor of Pakistan. The majority of people in both countries want peace and friendship to prevail in the region.”