AJMER, March 9: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Saturday prayed for peace in his country at a 13th-century shrine in northern India during a lightning visit.

Mr Ashraf and his family prayed at the revered shrine of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti, also known as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan.

“I wish for peace in the world and for peace and prosperity in Pakistan,” the prime minister wrote in Urdu in the visitors’ book after spending half an hour at the shrine in Ajmer, 130km from Jaipur.

Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid earlier hosted a lunch for Mr Ashraf at the Rambagh Palace, a luxury heritage hotel in Jaipur.

He said he was welcoming the Pakistani leader with “open arms”, despite a chill in ties between the two countries over recent border clashes.

“It’s in our culture to welcome our guests with open arms,” said Khurshid, adding controversial topics such as alleged sponsorship of cross-border militancy by Pakistan were not discussed.

“Today it was a private visit. There were no official talks.

“We will do it at the appropriate time,” he said.

According to sources, at the informal talks between Mr Ashraf and the Indian minister the upcoming general election in Pakistan came up for discussion.

The sources said that Mr Khurshid also congratulated the prime minister on the successful completion of the tenure of Pakistani government.

On his part, Mr Ashraf asked Mr Khurshid to convey to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh his best wishes.

He also thanked the Indian government for facilitating his visit and making arrangements in this regard.—Agencies