BJP, RSS leaders to visit Pakistan on peace mission

Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will join an Indian delegation that will visit Pakistan in August to participate in a two-day conference.

This is the first time the BJP is sending delegates to Pakistan since Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's friendship offer in April.

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The BJP team is likely to have MPs SS Ahluwalia, Anadi Charan Sahu, Balbir Punj and Vijayendra Pal Singh. Punj confirmed that he would be in the delegation leaving for Islamabad on August 9.

"This is a gesture to extend the historic peace initiative and remove mutual misgivings," BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. "A delegation of this kind at this time would be the right step."

Naqvi said apart from the official engagements, the team would present India's viewpoint on Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistani leaders.

The main event would be a peace dialogue on August 10 and 11 for a South Asian Parliamentary Conference.

Three members are also likely to join from RSS, though the organisation is not spelling out its plans.

"There is no formal invitation so far," RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said. "The Pakistani journalist Imtiaz Alam had given invitations, and we were told that we would also be invited. That was a month ago."

But Madhav said the RSS was open to considering such a visit when the invitation came.

Rehman, the leader of opposition in Pakistan who is famed as the father of Taliban, met a string of top leaders including Vajpayee, Opposition members and the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).