Asif Ali Zardari discusses trade, security and Kashmir with Manmohan Singh and spends an hour at saint's tomb
Asif Ali Zardari made a pilgrimage to a Muslim shrine on Sunday during the first visit by a Pakistani president to India for seven years.
With his 23-year-old son Bilawal and a large entourage, Zardari spent an hour at the tomb of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a 12th-century saint, in the desert city of Ajmer, 250 miles south-east of Delhi. He left draped in a red and gold tinsel cloak and turban.
Hours earlier, over lunch in the capital, India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, asked Zardari to pray for peace between the two countries.
Although the flying visit resulted in nothing more solid than warm words and an invitation for Singh to visit Pakistan, western diplomats described it as "good news after a lot of grim news" and said it held out the prospect of a real breakthrough in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
Washington and European powers have made repeated efforts to nudge India and Pakistan towards settling their differences in recent years, recognising that a lasting peace is crucial to stabilising the region and particularly Afghanistan.
The Pakistani security establishment has long protected or even aided a variety of paramilitary militant groups to counterbalance India's much larger conventional forces, and is widely suspected of helping Afghan militants in their fight against Nato forces in Afghanistan in an attempt to secure sufficient leverage to deny Delhi influence there.
With most Nato combat forces preparing to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014 at the latest, improving relations between Islamabad and Delhi has become an urgent priority. One diplomat said: "It's been the mirage in the desert. It has never got any closer however much effort has been made to get there. Let's hope this time perhaps it's for real."
Manoj Joshi, a Delhi-based security analyst and journalist, said the visit went beyond symbolism. "Historically, whenever things have been stuck, they have eventually got unblocked. Both [leaders] are keen on a peace agenda and this [kind of meeting] means they can get together informally without the pressure of coming up with any solution," Joshi said.
Zardari's visit was originally mooted as a personal religious pilgrimage but rapidly took on the appearance of a full state visit. After arriving in Delhi, Zardari travelled to the official residence of Singh for a private meeting.
Afterwards the Indian prime minister said he hoped relations between India and Pakistan "should become normal", and he would be happy accept the Pakistani president's invitation to visit. Zardari said Pakistan "would like to have better relations with India".
The meeting was partially overshadowed by the recent announcement that the US has offered a $10m (£6.2m) reward for information leading to the conviction of Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant organisation held responsible by India for the bloody assault on hotels, train stations and a Jewish centre in Mumbai, the Indian commercial capital, in November 2008.
Pakistani authorities have refused to take action against the veteran extremist, arguing there is no evidence against him despite a series of dossiers passed to them by Delhi which Indian officials say contain proof of his guilt. According to Indian officials, Zardari told Singh at lunch that Saeed had been repeatedly arrested but never convicted.
Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan former princely state, which has been a flashpoint for decades, was discussed, the officials said. Singh also reportedly offered Zardari India's help in finding 124 Pakistani soldiers and 11 civilians engulfed by an avalanche on Saturday near the Siachen glacier in Kashmir, where the two neighbours' forces still face off across miles of snow and ice.
Most of the conversation was focused on less contentious issues such as trade, easing visa regimes and cultural exchanges, officials said. Pakistan, hit by successive economic crises, is expected to grant India most favoured nation trade status later this year.
Since taking power in 2008 in the aftermath of the assassination of his wife, the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Zardari has repeatedly made it clear he would like to see better relations with India. However, he is hobbled by a hawkish security establishment and his government's poor economic performance.
Singh, a soft-spoken economist, also faces domestic challenges. His administration is paralysed by infighting, corruption scandals and coalition politics.
Joshi said: "Ongoing quiet discussions are happening. Back-channel contacts have been going on. Things have been gridlocked because of [the] Mumbai [attacks] but … despite his weaknesses Zardari has shown he is genuinely inclined towards peace. So has [Singh]."
A menu mixing southern, western and northern Indian dishes – along with at least one Kashmiri speciality – was served at the lunch. Sushma Swaraj, leader of the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, said: "Towards the end, [Singh] told President Zardari that since he was going to Ajmer, he should pray … for peace in both our countries. Zardari agreed, she said.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who is already being groomed as his mother's political heir, was seated at the lunch next to 41-year-old Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India's first political family. Bilawal posted his impressions of the lunch on Twitter. "Prez n I enjoyed lunch with Rahul Gandhi and PM Singh. lovely meal. much to learn from each other," he wrote.