Laloo Yadav, Ram Jethmalani and other members of the delegation stand to attention as the national anthems of India and Pakistan are played before the start of the South Asian Free Media Conference in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Vajpayee's statement, which was read out at the conference, called on both countries to shun confrontation and embrace the path of cooperation.

Photograph: Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty Images