In saying this, I am also prompted by what I had myself observed in Pakistan when I accompanied L.K. Advani on his landmark visit to that country in June last year. The two temples I visited in Karachi were the Shiv Mandir on Clifton beach and Swaminarayan Mandir with its goshala or cowshed. (I saw the latter while on an unsuccessful exploration to find the house where my mother-in-law spent her childhood, before migrating to Bombay after partition.) These shrines almost hide their existence in the milieu around them. But in a city whose sizeable Hindu population, along with numerous pre-partition Hindu landmarks, has all but vanished, it was some solace to see these barely surviving temples. I must also add here that almost every Hindu I spoke to in Karachi said that life for the Hindus in Pakistan had got better after Musharraf came to power.

Then there was the visit to Katas Raj, near Lahore, where Advaniji was given the honour of laying the foundation stone for the renovation of an ancient Hindu temple complex. According to legend, Pandavas came here during their years in exile. What struck me was the genuine warmth with which Chaudhury Shujaat Hussain, president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Q), received Advaniji at Katas Raj. He pledged Pakistan government’s full support for the renovation project and even added that, in the years to come, he would like to see Hindu pilgrims from India come to Katas Raj in the same way as Muslims from Pakistan go to Ajmer Sharif to offer prayers.

... contd.