New Delhi: He was the only Indian, the only Hindu and the only vegetarian at a global Sufi conference in Pakistan. And D.R. Kaarthikeyan, a former top-notch crime investigator, is back home with the firm conviction that most Pakistanis want to live in peace with India.

The former chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also feels that an overwhelming majority in Pakistan firmly believes in the principles of Sufi ideology.

"Contrary to widespread public perception in India, even at higher levels, Sufism continues to be a dominant faith among sizeable section sources here.

"That is the impression I get from my interactions at the conference," he said, referring to the four-day international meet in Lahore late last month on 'Sufism - A Road to Peace'.

The conference drew delegates representing the world's four major religions - Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism - from several countries although the bulk of the participation was from Pakistan.

The only Indian delegate was Kaarthikeyan, who retired from CBI in 2001. Kaarthikeyan also headed the special team that investigated the assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

Kaarthikeyan, a staunch believer in inter-faith harmony, said he did get the impression from private conversations with Pakistanis that some in that country were against Sufi ideology because they thought it violated Islamic thoughts.

"But Islamic scholars at the conference made it clear that Sufism was a way of life," he said.

Pakistanis taking part in the conference also repeatedly emphasized that they wanted good and stable ties with India.

"The vast majority of the people not only want this but long for reconciliation of differences and re-establishment of the old relations," Kaarthikeyan said.

"Many people were nostalgic about their birthplaces or their ancestral places in India.

"Everyone agreed that we should not live in the past. There is no remedy for historical mistakes. Blame game should stop now. Otherwise endless debates will go on about our relationship," he said.

One or two Pakistanis at the conference referred to the Kashmir dispute but added that if one believed in the Sufi way of life, there could be reasonable solution of existing differences.

"The conference was an eye opener to me," Kaarthikeyan said.

"We have developed a lot of prejudices against the Pakistani people. All that is wrong. The average Pakistani wants harmonious relations with India," he said.

A resolution passed at the end of the Nov 22-24 conference declared: "Sufism is the road to peace for the world, which is threatened by recurring episodes of violence, terrorism, intolerance, hatred and warfare.

"We do resolve that the state and governments should commit themselves to the philosophy of Sufism and make it an integral part of the state policy for promoting love, inter-faith harmony, peaceful co-existence, mutual trust and humanistic values."

Kaarthikeyan said that many Pakistani delegates had positive things to say about President Pervez Musharraf - from the point of view of Lahore.

"Our street lights are now burning and Lahore is more clean," the Pakistanis told him.

"Lahore was indeed very nice," he said.