Pakistan should adopt Jinnah's speech as policy: Advani

"It (celebrations at Katasraj temples) is something that has never happened there in 60 years. It's a positive sign," Advani said.

Katasraj temples are located about 60 km from Lahore. Earlier in the day, he received at his home in New Delhi a delegation heading for Katasraj in Pakistan to mark the Shivratri there.

The former Deputy Prime Minister told PTI that his remarks on Jinnah had helped to bring back the spotlight back to Pakistan founder's address to the 1947 constituent assembly.

He cited news reports that Pakistan's national assembly has allowed the introduction of a bill to make portions of that speech by Jinnah a part of that country's constitution. "Both Pakistan and Bangladesh should adopt as a policy what Jinnah had said in his address to the constituent assembly," Advani said.

He pinpointed that Pakistan's founder had in his 1947 address spoken about freedom of religion and secularism. Jinnah, according to Advani, had said that the state will make no distinction on grounds of religion and everybody would be free to go to temples, mosques or any other place of worship. Advani had to quit as BJP President in the wake of his 2005 comments on the Pakistan founder.