Pakistani MP's India visit opens rare diplomatic window

ANKARA

Amid tensions between nuclear armed neighbors India and Pakistan, a Pakistani parliamentarian traveled to India for a spiritual event on Saturday, opening a rare diplomatic opportunity for Islamabad.

Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who represents ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Pakistan National Assembly (MNA) said India would be the main benefactor if Delhi and Islamabad were to "join hands and walk together."

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Vankwani said he had a brief hand-shake with the Indian premier before meeting Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a few minutes during a group meeting, who welcomed me and said he was happy that I had come," said the Pakistani lawmaker.

Vankwani, who is patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu council, is part of a 220-member delegation from 185 countries who attended the Hindu festival -- Kumbh Mela -- upon invitation of the Indian government.

He said he later met Swaraj, who he told the two countries needed to move in a "positive direction."

The Pakistan Hindu Council patron reached India by foot on Friday through the Wagah border in Punjab state.

Foreign delegates were flown into Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state where the festival is held from New Delhi in two special airplanes.

"I told the [Indian] external affairs minister that it is the leadership in India and Pakistan along with all of its institutions which can take [the] region out of the crisis," said Vankwani.

He underlined that the the two countries could refer to their past experience as a "lesson," saying that "allegations" would help neither Pakistan nor India.

He said he also stressed to the Indian leadership that Islamabad had "no links" with the recent Pulwama attack.

The bilateral relations between India and Pakistan are at an all-time low since a Feb. 14 car bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir when 44 Indian paramilitary personnel were killed. Militant outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the attack.

"My government does not want such a situation," Vankwani said emphasizing that he could serve as a mediator between the two countries.

He said he told Swaraj that India and Pakistan needed to conduct talks in order to "take forward" the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Quaid Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The Pakistan Hindu Council patron was elected twice to the MNA since 2013. Earlier, he was a member of Sindh provincial assembly of from 2002 to 2007.

The news of the Pakistani lawmaker meeting Indian senior officials generated praise on social media.

Senior Pakistani Journalist and commentator Mosharraf Zaidi said on Twitter: "how heroic is it for a Pakistani MP to travel to India and engage India’s leadership in a conversation about peace? Very. Well done, @RVankwani."

At least 22 million people from across India and outside have visited the Kumbh Mela, an Indian official said.