Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Yusuf Tarigami on Tuesday welcomed India's announcement to restore bi-weekly bus services between Lahore and Delhi.
 
The bus service was discontinued along with rail and airlinks after December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament by Pak-supported terrorists.

"This is a welcome gesture of the Indian Prime Minister Atal  Bihari Vajpayee. I hope the air and rail links would also be restored soon," Tarigami told rediff.com in New Delhi.

When asked what happened to a delegation of Pakistani parliamentarians which was scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday, Tarigami said the visit was postponed by a few days.

"I have been told that some documents were not in order and hence the trip of the Pakistani delegation of parliamentarians and intellectuals has been delayed by a few days. It is not correct to say that they could not come because of denial of visas to them. The delegation would be led by Chaudhary Manzoor Ahmed, a leading advocate of Pakistan and member of their senate," Tarigami said.

The Pakistani delegation was scheduled to meet a number of senior CPM leaders in New Delhi on Wednesday. Tarigami said the meeting would be rescheduled after he hears from Chaudhary Manzoor Ahmed.

The CPM leader said the new government in Jammu and Kashmir led by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is doing a good job. He said the government's healing touch policy is paying dividends.

"There is a gross misconception in the other parts of the country about the healing touch policy of the Mufti government. We are providing healing touch to those who are victims of the terror. Those indulging in terrorism do not deserve any mercy," he said.

Tarigami hoped that talks between India and Pakistan would begin soon and would result in a summit-level meeting between the heads of the states of the two countries.

"Let me tell you that there is tremendous international pressure on the two nations to settle the Kashmir issue. Besides, there is pressure from the people of India and Pakistan too. This pressure is greater then any other pressure," he said.