Hardline Pakistani Opposition leader Maulana Fazl-ur Rehman today sought to dissociate his country from the Ayodhya issue. ‘‘Ayodhya is an internal issue of India. We have nothing to do with it. The Muslims here are handling the issue in their own way,’’ he said.Praising Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee who he met on Sunday, Rehman said: ‘‘Vajpayee is a good and experienced leader. He seems sincere about resolving all contentious issues with Pakistan.’’Asked what message he was carrying from the PM back home, Rehman said: ‘‘The Indian PM’s sparing time for a lengthy meeting with me is itself a message for everyone.’’ Stating that he had strong views on Indo-Pak relations, Rehman said the media had distorted his image. He was always for an Indo-Pak dialogue and had welcomed the PM’s visit to Lahore in 1999, he said.Asked if Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was sincere about establishing peaceful relations with India, Rehman said: ‘‘I don’t want to get into a debate but the governments of both the countries cannot ignore the will of the people to live in peace.’’In meetings with RSS and VHP leaders, he agreed that it was everyone’s duty to build an atmosphere of trust. He stressed that the Hindus in Pakistan were ‘‘safe’’ and there was no violence even after the communal riots in Gujarat.Asked about the sectarian violence in different parts of Pakistan, Rehman said it was ‘‘unfortunate’’ and drew attention to the recent blasts in a Mosque in Quetta in which more than 50 people were killed. ‘‘I have always maintained the Shias and the Sunnis should live together like brothers.’’ He said former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif should return to Pakistan for making their contribution to society.
