The controversy surrounding Lal Kishenchand Advani notwithstanding, the popularity graph of the Bharatiya Janata Party president has risen high in Pakistan after his recent visit, a senior Pakistan government official said on Friday.

Advani's remarks on Mohammed Ali Jinnah are "proper, logical, symbolic of ideological change" and another step forward in furthering the friendly relations between the two countries, Parliamentary Secretary of Agricultural Marketing Department, Rana Aftab Mohammed Khan, said at Phagwara on Thursday.

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Advani was now more popular in Pakistan than perhaps in India, he said describing as "unwarranted" the row in India over Advani's remarks. With his statement, Advani has metamorphosed his image into that of a humanist from the one of a Hindu hardliner, Khan said.

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