LAHORE, Feb 23: An Indian peace delegation called on PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed and visited the office of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Monday.

The team included journalists Kuldip Nayer, Seema Mustafa and Jatan Desai, rights activist Shabnam Hashmi, film-maker Mahesh Bhatt and former ambassador Salman Haider. The delegation held a press conference at the headquarters of the South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) later in the day.

Salman Haider told the media that the delegation “took great heart” from reports that India and Pakistan had been close to reaching a solution over Kashmir during the tenure of the previous Pakistan government. “When we resume contacts, we will have a lot to build on.” Seema Mustafa said that the media on both sides of the border should have shown more responsibility in the wake of the Mumbai attacks instead of reverting to jingoistic hype.

She said: “It’s time to remove sand and replace it with soil and plant trees of peace,” adding that freedom of information “must be institutionalised and processes made more transparent to make it impossible for governments to turn the clock back”.

Earlier, the delegation met Nawaz Sharif, who stressed the need for good relations between the two countries to ensure a bright future.

When they met Qazi Hussain, the JI leader regretted Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s criticism of the Swat agreement.

Mr Nayar said that Pakistan “must do more to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism inside its borders”.

Speaking at Safma headquarters, former foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri lashed out at criticism on the proposed Kashmir solution the previous government had been working on in collaboration with the Indian government.

He said that a secret dossier had been prepared just to keep it away from premature media glare.