Chief minister Nitish Kumar has accepted the invitation to visit Pakistan and is likely to visit the neighbouring country in November-December this year subject to clearance from the ministry of external affairs.

The invitation was extended to him by Pakistan parliamentary delegation led by senatorJehangir Badr on Saturday. The delegation members had an interactive session with Kumar at the Samvad auditorium of the CM Secretariat and also exchanged views and perceptions about the changed profile of the state that has come about since 2005-06.

Upholding the curiosity of the Pakistani parliamentary delegation to know about Bihar, the CM said that 10.38 crore people of the state would highly appreciate their visit to the state.

Giving historicity of the state's capital Patna, he said that its ancient name was Patliputra, which, in the mediaeval period got the name Azimabad. The CM also gave details of the changes that had come about in the state, including in the health and education sectors, as well as in matters of empowerment.

Overwhelmed by the changed profile of the state, Badr called the Bihar success story a real story, and upholding the quality leadership that the CM had given to the state, he also invited him to visit Pakistan. Senator Haji Adil, in this regard, extended him the formal invitation on behalf of the CMs of all the four provinces of Pakistan, besides inviting him to visit Lahore on behalf of Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

When mediapersons drew attention of case of Sarabjeet Singh languishing in Pakistan jail, the delegates said that they too believe that those who have completed their jail term should be repatriated to their respective country at the earliest. Sarabjeet issue has also been made an agenda for the next round of talk, the Pak leaders mentioned. Senator Saeeda Iqbal quelled rumours that there is threat to Sarbjeet's life. Member of National Assembly Anusha Rehmansaid: "Hum mohabbat ka paigam lekar aye hain".

Earlier, the delegation visited Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library. Welcoming the delegation, library director Imtiaz Ahmad made a brief power-point presentation introducing the Library and its collection, highlighting the fact that the repository was a major centre of the cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent in particular, and the Islamic world in general, of the mediaeval period. He also spoke about the visit by Pakistani scholars, researchers, poets and authors like Ahmad Faraz, Intezar Husain, Fatima Hasan and Ayesha Jalal, in recent years as well as the participation of the Library in the SAARC book-fair, organized at Lahore in 2005

TOI,Patna