President Zardari visits Ajmer Sharif

AJMER: President Asif Ali Zardari, who is on a private trip to India, paid a visit to the shrine of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti on Sunday.

The President was accompanied by his children Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Asifa along with Rehman Malik and other members of the delegation.

Strict security arrangements had been put in place for the President’s visit and according to reports 3,000 policemen had been deployed.

President Zardari also announced Rs1 million for the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

The President wrote in the visitors' book: "The spiritual happiness I felt after coming to this holy place is beyond description. I pray to god to create favourable condition for humanity. Amin."

Prior to visiting Ajmer, President Zardari held a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. During this meeting Indian Prime Minister Singh accepted President Zardari’s invitation to visit Pakistan.

Bilateral issues including Siachen, Sir Creek and Kashmir were also discussed during the meeting. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Indian Foreign Secretary Rajan Mathai said the Indian Prime Minister brought up the issue of Hafiz Saeed with President Zardari.

The Pakistani President informed the Indian Prime Minister that both governments needed to hold further discussions relating to Hafiz Saeed.