Members of the visiting Indian parliamentary delegation on Tuesday said they were surprised to notice the change in the public mood in Pakistan.

"I have visited Pakistan in the past. This time I noticed a fundamental change not only in the common man, but even in the ruling elite in Pakistan... that there can be no solution to the conflict between India and Pakistan except through negotiations," MP Shahid Siddiqui told Indian journalists in Karachi.

Siddiqui also pointed out to the change of attitude among the average Pakistanis towards jihad. "In the past I used to hear a lot about jihad. This time I have not heard this in a single meeting anywhere. Even in private conversations nobody mentions this word."

Led by noted journalist and MP Kuldip Nayyar, the delegation reached Karachi on Monday on the last leg of its tour.

Siddique said he also noticed a perceptible change in the mindset of the Pakistanis towards Indian Muslims. "In the past, whenever I mentioned Indian Muslims I was not allowed to speak. This time not only people are listening to me, but they are appreciating my point that Indian Muslims are crucial part of the Indian secular fabric. And the Indian secular fabric is inextricably linked to the solution of the Kashmir issue."

Rashed Shaeen, the National Conference MP from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, said he wanted to send out a message to Pakistanis that they should help reduce violence in Kashmir.

He said, "Freedom of expression is stifled in Kashmir due to the presence of guns. If somebody speaks they are killed.

"I humbly requested them in my speeches that we are on a mission of confidence building. You are lovers of Kashmir. Can you stop the violence? Let the people of Kashmir talk."

Congress MP Pawan Bansal also expressed surprise at the amount of love and affection showered by the people wherever the delegation went.

While some Pakistanis had reservations about India, many wanted peace and friendship, he said. Pakistanis were opposed to mediation in the Kashmir issue, he added. "People believe war is not the solution. They believe that both the countries should sort out issues between themselves.  Outsiders bring their own baggage. We should address our problems ourselves. Trade should be developed."

MP Lakshman Seth said, "I do not know what the government here thinks, but the people of Pakistan want friendly relations with India."

Doubting whether there could be a durable solution to the Kashmir issue without restoration of democracy in Pakistan, he said, "The peace process in the past was disrupted by the military in Pakistan."