A delegation of parliamentarians from Pakistan today visited the Parliament House here to watch the proceedings in both Houses and later called on Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari.

The delegation, led by Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, called on Kumar. During the meeting, she said peace and stability are two key pre-requisites that the two countries need to emphasize for the overall welfare of their peoples.

"The relationship between India and Pakistan go well together historically and culturally. The peoples of the two countries have a strong desire to normalize and strengthen mutual ties and to march ahead on the path of peace and prosperity," Kumar said.

She recalled her visit to Pakistan in February 2012–-the first-ever visit by an Indian Parliament Speaker to Pakistan--and said she was overwhelmed by the friendship as also the commonality of views among the people on a host of issues concerning the two nations.

Kumar said positive developments like efforts to simplify the visa regime between the two countries have given a new momentum to the bilateral relationship.

Welcoming the delegation, Ansari said his visit would further strengthen relations between the two parliaments and the countries.

In a reference to terrorism, Kumar told the visiting delegation that the two sides should send a strong message that we do not spare those who spread terror or disturb peace in the region.

Reciprocating the sentiments of Kumar, Bokhari pointed out that peace in the region could be achieved through sustained dialogue and consultation, more importantly through people-to-people contacts.

Bokhari emphasized there is a complete consensus in Pakistan in having good neighbourly relations with India. He lauded the resumption of dialogue process and said that this was the only way to resolve our outstanding disputes.

He also appreciated the enhanced people-to-people contacts, including interaction between the parliamentary delegations and promotion of cultural exchanges.

The Lok Sabha Speaker noted that there has been a noticeable increase in the volume of bilateral trade in recent years. She said the two countries should strive more to exploit the full potential of their economic engagement.

Bokhari said parliamentarians, through "parliamentary diplomacy", will have to play a crucial role in removing misperceptions and work jointly to resolve issues through dialogue.

During a meeting with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, the Chairman of the Senate said Pakistan believes in dialogue.

At a meeting with President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations Karan Singh, he also underscored the need for more cultural exchanges and implementation of the MoU between Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) and ICCR which was signed during the Foreign Minister-level talks in September this year, a statement by the Pakistan High Commission here said.

He also met Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and exchanged views on parliamentary experiences.