KARACHI, Feb 1: Jaswant Singh, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament, returned here on Wednesday night after a visit to the temple of Hinglaj Mata in the Uthal area of Balochistan.

Mr Singh, a BJP leader and a former foreign minister, is on a goodwill visit to Pakistan at the head of an 86-member delegation, which had arrived here on Monday morning by road via Munabao-Khokhrapar route and proceeded to the Hinglaj Mata temple, 280kms from Karachi, on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yusuf hosted a lunch for the Indian guests.

After his return to Karachi, the BJP leader had a dinner and meetings with his friends at his hotel. Some members of the delegation visited various shopping areas, including those in Clifton, and some others visited their friends and relatives in the metropolis.

The delegation members include some Muslims — Aim Maher, Roshan Din Sand, and Sher Mohammad Nohri — and some MPs — Mahinder Singh, Bhomindar Singh, Dilip Singh and Chitter Singh.

The Indian guests have a busy schedule for Thursday and Friday. Besides giving interviews to some private TV channels, Mr Singh’s engagements on Thursday include a visit to the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum, a reception by Karachi Council for Foreign Relations and a reception by Karachiites at a local hotel. Before returning home on Feb 6 via the same route, Mr Singh is likely to visit Lahore and Islamabad.

The BJP leader, in his brief chat with journalists upon his arrival, had stated that this visit to Pakistan had no political implications. He said the object of his visit was to promote peace, love and brotherhood among peoples of the two countries.

He said he saw the future of India and Pakistan bright as people of both the countries loved each other and wanted peace and tranquillity to prevail in the whole region.