August 14, 2003	Thursday	Jumadi-us-Sani 15, 1424

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LAHORE, Aug 13: The visiting Indian delegation of parliamentarians and journalists left for home on Wednesday via Wagah, ending its visit on high hopes for peace and friendship between Pakistan and India.

Out of 59 delegates, who arrived on Saturday to participate in a peace moot in Islamabad, about 46 left for home. Others stayed back for a few more days.

“We have strong hopes for peace. The countries should continue to talk (for peace between them),” Ram Jethmalani, an independent MP and chairman of the Indian Kashmir Committee, told reporters at Wagah before the departure. However, in reply to a query, he said he did not know when would peace be effected between the two nations.

“We brought the message of love and peace and are grateful to Pakistanis for treating us well,” Indian MP and former Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav said. “During our stay here, we felt like being in our own country. We want Pakistan and India to unite and work for the development of their people.”

“We have had meetings with President Musharraf, Prime Minister Jamali and other politicians. The crux of our talks is that we are poor nations and cannot afford war because that would devastate us,” he said.

“Prime Minister Vajpayee has also stated that he wants to stop and settle the issue of cross-border extremism through talks. Our visit has boosted hopes for peace. People of both the states want peace in the region so that the two countries could progress. All our political parties are in favour of peace,” Mr Yadav said.

He said the delegates had also met political leaders and “we would like to talk on a party-to-party basis to end differences.” He expressed the hope that the ongoing “(unofficial) visits of lawmakers and others from both sides would succeed in building confidence and help overcome the problems between Pakistan and India”.

However, he added that things would start moving forward when government-to-government negotiations began.

Earlier, former HRCP chairperson Asma Jehangir hosted a lunch for the Indian delegates.

Speaking on the occasion, Surindera Arura, BJP’s Foreign Policy Cell chairman, said he had found a strong desire in both sides to move away from the past and chart a new course. However, nobody should expect immediate results as “dramatic results were neither feasible nor desirable”.

Others who spoke included Dr Mubashir Hasan, I.A. Rehman, Asma Jehangir and Vishwa Bandu Gupta.