ISLAMABAD, June 1: Veteran Indian politician Lal Krishan Advani held separate meetings with MMA leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman and a People’s Party Parliamentarians team here on Wednesday. Mr Advani called on Maulana Fazl in his Parliament House chamber where they also addressed a joint press conference after the meeting. Later, a PPP delegation led by Makhdoom Amin Fahim met Mr Advani at his hotel.

Speaking at the press conference, Mr Advani and Maulana Fazl said the current peace process between Pakistan and India was irreversible and would ultimately lead to the resolution of all contentious issues. Both leaders called for exchange of more visits between Indian and Pakistani parliamentarians to improve relations.

“The peace process has become irreversible as people from both sides, belonging to all sections of the society desire settlement of disputes,” Mr Advani said. The BJP leader said he would talk to the Indian Lok Sabha speaker regarding setting up of a joint friendship association of parliamentarians to boost ties between the two countries. He urged elected representatives of both sides to play their role in strengthening relations between the two countries.

The former deputy prime minister of India said it was the desire of the people of Pakistan and India that the two countries should resolve decades old issues through dialogue in the shortest possible time.

Maulana Fazl expressed the hope that the visit of Mr Advani would help promote the existing atmosphere of friendship. Mr Advani avoided the question regarding his role in the demolition of the Babri mosque and termed it an incident of the past.

Later, talking to a four-member PPP delegation, Mr Advani vowed to support the efforts to bring India and Pakistan closer. The PPP delegation, comprising Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Senator Raza Rabbani, Senator Sajjad Bukhari and MNA Sherry Rehman, assured Mr Advani of their full support to the ongoing peace process.

Talking to Dawn, Sherry Rehman quoted Mr Advani as saying that the credit for the ongoing peace process went to his Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) and not to the present Congress-led government as it was launched by former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Ms Rehman said the PPP members told Mr Advani that they recognized the role of the BJP in the peace process, but the foundation for this friendship was laid by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Rajiv Gandhi back in 1989. The PPP leaders also told Mr Advani that the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto also played an important role in bringing the two countries on negotiation table through the Shimla Agreement.

Earlier, Mr Advani held a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain.