For Pakistani youth brought up to distrust Indians, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani's one act of praising their founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah has won over their hearts and minds more than any other Indian has perhaps ever done.

While not ready to forget their history lessons that Advani is among those charged with conspiracy to kill Jinnah, or he is the person who led a campaign that ended in the destruction of the Babri mosque at Ayodhya, the educated youth and many journalists are full of admiration for the Indian opposition leader's courage in attempting to set the record straight about Jinnah and his place in history.

If Railway Minister Lalu Prasad won over the young and old alike in this old bustling city with his earthy humour and appeal for the masses, youngsters in particular are all praise for Advani's oratorical skills.

Advani's emotional "outburst" and repentance of instances in the past, such as involvement in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, while evoking some scepticism about his sudden change in image from a hardline Hindu to a moderate has nonetheless struck the right chord with the masses too.

"It is about time if India wants to really make peace with Pakistan", was the common refrain one heard from the man on the street.

After former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with his bus diplomacy and moves towards building peace bridges between the two countries, Advani appears to have made the right moves in Pakistan.

Many a shopkeeper in the historic Anarkali Bazar, named after the beloved of Mughal emporor Akbar's son Jehangir, is quick to point to a secular outlook and communal harmony as works of craftsmen depicting Hindu gods like Hanuman can be found in handicraft shops.

Right from the Wagah border to Lahore and on to Islamabad, one can hear praise for Advani, which is much more than the media coverage of the Hurriyat leaders on a visit to Pakistan to ensure a place for themselves in the bilateral talks on Kashmir.

The media coverage of Advani's visit far surpassed that of the Hurriyat.

The growing bonhomie between people from both sides may well only be on the surface as many a Pakistani is not too sure how far the tensions and intrinsic mistrust between common people across the border may be dissipated by the high-profile visits.

Nonetheless, efforts are being made by Pakistani authorities to welcome more Indian visitors. A major indicator of this is the ongoing work to improve a 100-km road stretch from Gurdwara Nankana Sahib to the Wagah border to help ease the pilgrimage of hundreds of Sikhs who visit the holy shrine every year.

An air of expectancy is also there over the news that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi may also visit Pakistan in the near future.