Pak delegation to raise pitch

“We are coming to our neighbourhood,so what’s there to be scared of? We aren’t heading for Congo,” said Jehangir.

Said Alam,“The leadership unequivocally assured India of its sincerity in the Mumbai probe,asserting that Pakistan will be two steps ahead of everyone’s expectations.”

Among other delegation members is Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel. A member of the Awami National Party — a constituent of the ruling PPP-led coalition Government — he is on the Senate Standing Committee on Information,which recently proposed taking off Indian TV channels from the Pakistani airspace. But Adeel suggested pulling off only entertainment channels “if absolutely necessary” and retaining the news channels so that they would have access to the “Indian media’s views on Pakistan”.

“I am bringing the message of non-violence and peaceful resolution of issues,for which my party stands. These are ideas which both Gandhiji and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan propagated. My father,who was president of the Peshawar office of the Indian National Congress and a member of the Congress Working Committee,served Saza-e-Kalapani in Andaman because he didn’t waver from his stance on non-violence and peace,” he added.

Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed said “this time,I am not coming as an office-bearer of PPP but as a founding member of the India-Pakistan Parliamentarians’ Forum,which was set up with the help of my didi,Nirmala Deshpande in 2007”.

Rao Abid Hamid,another member of the delegation,saved the life of an Indian PoW,Roop Lal,in 2000. He was actively involved in fighting the case of Sarabjit Singh,also on death row.