Jaipur:
Pakistan's Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf flew in with about 50 people for a private visit this morning and met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid over lunch at Jaipur. After the meeting, Mr Khurshid said he did not discuss issues like terrorism with Mr Ashraf because he is on a private visit to India.
"This was a private visit. It was a pilgrimage (for Ashraf). This was not the occasion nor did I have the authority to discuss such issues," Mr Khurshid told reporters after the lunch and added, "Today it was a private visit. There was no official talk. We will do it at the appropriate time."
(Terror was not discussed with Pak PM: Salman Khurshid)After lunch, which was traditional Rajasthani fare at the Rambagh Palace hotel, Mr Ashraf's entourage left for Ajmer in three helicopters.
There, at the Ajmer Sharif, Mr Ashraf offered a multi-coloured
chadar (sacred cloth) to the
dargah.
Security is tight in Ajmer, where several groups of people are protesting against the Pakistani PM's visit. He also faced a symbolic boycott at the
dargah. The spiritual head of the sufi shrine there had said he will not assist him in prayers as a mark of protest over the mutilation of the bodies of two Indian soldiers in January.
Mr Ashraf's route to go back to the helipad was changed after the lawyers blocked the Ambedkar Circle route that he was originally supposed to take.
In January this year, Pakistani troops mutilated the bodies of two Indian soldiers near Jammu. One of the soldiers was found with his head missing. Pakistan has denied that its troops attacked the men or mangled their bodies. Bilateral ties between the two countries have been strained since the incident.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Parliament on Friday that there cannot be normalisation of ties with Pakistan unless "the terror machine still active there was brought under control."
The BJP has questioned why the Indian government was going out of way to interact with the Pakistani leader. The government, however, insisted that it was only following basic protocol.
"In accordance with normal diplomatic protocol, we are extending him due courtesies," a spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said, while giving details of the Pakistan Prime Minister's trip.
While the Indian government has defended the "courtesy" extended to Mr Ashraf, the Pakistan Prime Minister faced a boycott and also protests in Ajmer.