Musharraf arrives in New Delhi bringing peace hopes

At a glittering dinner reception that brought Delhi and Islamabad's intelligentsia together, Indian and Pakistani leaders committed themselves to moving the peace process forward.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, however, cautioned against "brushing issues under the carpet" in a pointed reminder that the Kashmir issue could not be buried.

"Tashkent, Simla and Lahore were intended to bring amity but they failed", Musharraf said, adding "to bring permanent peace and permanent harmony one must find permanent solutions to all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir".

Musharraf was responding to a toast raised by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a banquet that he hosted on the first day of the Pakistani leader's landmark visit to the country.

Ostensibly here to watch the final of a one day cricket series in Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla grounds, the general will only watch the match for 90 minutes before heading for a meeting with Singh.

Observing that fate had placed on their shoulders the burden of a sacred responsibility, Singh told Musharraf, "In order to take forward and sustain the dialogue process, we must together fight the scourge of terrorism in our region".

"The bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad has huge public support for a stronger people-to-people contact," the Indian prime minister said.

Musharraf who had not been informed he would have to speak last night and spoke largely extempore after jotting down a few notes on his way to the Asoka Hotel hit all the right notes. He contrasted his last visit in 2001 and today's as "diametrically opposite".

"I came in a situation of acrimony," he said. Sitting to his left was Lal Krishna Advani, leader of the opposition and then deputy prime minister, whose relentless hard line is said to have wrecked the Agra summit.

"The people to people contacts in the last year have generated a momentum of their own. The aspirations of the people have overtaken governments of the two countries. The process is irreversible," Musharraf said, echoing Singh. "Failure is not an option."

The bonhomie between the two leaders was evident during the dinner session.

Singh also said he was very impressed with Musharraf's family who visited India recently.

Among the audience were the elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir as well as senior members of government, a slew of diplomats, cricketers and film star Rani Mukherjee.

United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi is expected to meet Musharraf today shortly after he meets Advani.