Krishna arrives in Pak's cultural hub Lahore

Lahore: Seeking a "stable, peaceful, progressive" Pakistan as India's neighbour, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna arrived here today after his two-day visit to Islamabad where he held extensive talks with his counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar.

Krishna, who arrived amidst tight security at the Allama Iqbal international Airport here for a day-long visit to Pakistan's cultural hub, is scheduled to meet former Premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Governor Latif Khosa and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Krishna was received at the airport by Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, the provincial minister for planning and development.

"Well, all this is going to help foster a much more cordial relationship between our two countries," Krishna said upon arrival here.

"It is my earnest desire and the desire of Dr Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, and the people of India that we would like to see a stable, peaceful, progressive Pakistan as our neighbour because that will mean quite a bit to the entire region," he said.

Describing his Pakistan visit as fruitful, Krishna noted that the two countries had signed several agreements yesterday.

During his stay here, Krishna will also visit historic monuments like Minar-e-Pakistan, Dera Sahab gurdwara and Data Darbar sufi shrine before leaving for Delhi. (More) PTI PYK KIM AKJ

In Islamabad yesterday, Krishna and Khar reviewed the last round of talks on all bilateral issues, including terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir and Siachen, and chalked out the roadmap for future round of discussions. The two ministers also chaired the Joint Commission Meeting.

After their talks, Krishna drove to the Pakistan Interior Ministry to ink a new agreement on liberalised visa regime with Rehman Malik, who termed the signing of the pact as a "positive development" and "gesture of friendship" from Pakistan.

The two countries also signed a pact on cultural exchanges but there was no headway on New Delhi's concerns on the Mumbai terror attacks case, with Islamabad only assuring that it will bring to book the perpetrators as per its law.