All the four provinces of Pakistan - Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and NWFP - were once dotted with Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Parsi and Christian places of worship. Most of them have vanished. A few still exist. Besides Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, one of the most significant among these is the primordial Hinglajmata Mandir in Baluchistan. Considered one of the 52 Shaktipeeths in undivided India, it was a major pilgrimage centre for both Hindus and Muslims. Devotees believe that Rama, Sita and Lakshman visited this place during their exile. Just as many Hindus offer prayers at dargahs in India, Muslims of Baluchistan, who are proud of the fact that their forefathers defended the temple against bigoted rulers, worship it as Nani Ka Haj (which means “Grandmother’s Shrine”).

As far as Pakistan’s Jain and Buddhist past is concerned, one only has to visit the ruins of Takshila (near Islamabad) or the magnificent museum in Lahore (a city that derives its name from Lav, the son of Lord Ram) to see the glorious spiritual heritage of this part of undivided India.

We thus see that Hinduism, Islam and all the other sacred faiths were, and continue to be, integral to the history of the three nations that once constituted undivided India. If Musharraf and other Pakistani leaders strongly, sincerely and consistently affirm their belief in this truth, India and Pakistan can together solve the problem of blood-drenched Kashmir (where Islam and Shaivism are integral to Kashmiriyat) in no time.