PM offers Pakistan treaty of peace
by Ravinder Singh Robin

     Amritsar: Flagging off the first bus service between Amritsar in India and Nankana Sahib in Lahore on Friday, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh extended a hand of friendship to the people of Pakistan by proposing a bilateral treaty of peace, security and friendship. Stating that it was possible for both India and Pakistan to reach a "meaningful agreement" on issues like the Siachen Glacier, Sir Creek and Baglihar, Dr. Singh, speaking in Punjabi, said it would be "a mistake to link normalisation of other relations with finding a solution to Jammu and Kashmir." Dr. Singh, however, added, "we are not afraid of discussing Jammu and Kashmir or of finding, pragmatic, practical solutions to resolve this issue as well." "I am convinced that we can move forward, if all concerned are willing to accept the ground realities; if all concerned take a long view of history and of our destiny," he added.

     Complimenting President Pervez Musharraf for taking "bold steps to curb extremism", Dr. Singh said: "More needs to be done in the interest of both India and Pakistan. "The time has come to leave behind the animosities and the misgivings of the past and to think the unthinkable of moving together in pursuit of our common objective of getting rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease that still afflict millions of our citizens. India and Pakistan must work together to open up new opportunities of economic cooperation, not only with South Asia, but also with West Asia and Central Asia. Cities like Lahore and Amritsar should once again become throbbing international commercial centres serving the entire region," Dr. Singh said. Speaking at length on the economic benefits for both countries from the normalization of relations, Dr. Singh said: "There are many things that the two Punjabs can learn from each other's development experience. We must encourage people-to-people contacts between actors in civil society, between academics, businessmen, artistes, and most importantly, the common people." "It is through such contacts that we can explore a vision for a cooperative common future for our two nations - a future where peace prevails, where relations are friendly, where our citizens rejoice in the well-being of the other country," he added.

    "On the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister also added: "A step-by-step approach has to be adopted given the inherent difficulties involved in finding practical solutions. I suggest that both sides should begin a dialogue with the people in their areas of control to improve the quality of governance so as to give the people on both sides a greater chance of leading a life of dignity and self-respect. I have often said that borders cannot be redrawn but we can work towards making them irrelevant - towards making them just lines on a map. People on both sides of the LOC should be able to move more freely and trade with one another." "I also envisage a situation where the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir can, with the active encouragement of the governments of India and Pakistan, work out cooperative, consultative mechanisms so as to maximize the gains of cooperation in solving problems of social and economic development of the region." The Prime Minister also said that: "The vision that guides us is that the destinies of our peoples are interlinked. That our two countries must therefore devise effective cooperative strategies to give concrete shape and meaning to this shared vision. India sincerely believes that a strong, stable, prosperous and moderate Pakistan is in the interest of India and entire South Asia. We are sincerely committed to the prosperity, unity, development and well-being of Pakistan." Dr. Singh then said, "I have a vision that the peace making process must ultimately culminate in our two countries entering into a Treaty of Peace, Security and Friendship to give meaning and substance to our quest for shared goals."

      Expressing his happiness to be in Amritsar on this historic occasion, the Prime Minister said it was indeed a memorable day for the people of Punjab. "This is a historic day for the entire Sikh community, both in Punjab and elsewhere. This is a historic day for the Panth. In many ways, it is a historic day for both India and Pakistan," Dr. Singh said. He described the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara as one of the holiest and most important in Pakistan. "Our government has made sincere efforts in this direction and this bus service between Amritsar and Nankana Sahib is a result of this. This is an emotional day for every Sikh. And for me too. Memories of the partition of 1947 and my own travel from Pakistan to India come vividly to my mind. My heart swells with pride to launch this bus service connecting two of the holiest sites for the Sikh Panth. On this historic occasion I send my greetings to the people of Pakistan and to President Pervez Musharraf," the Prime Minister said Commenting on the bus service, Dr. Singh said that the need of the hour was more such links between the two countries in the months and years to come, and added that friendly relations between India and Pakistan could make this objective a reality. "I hope this bus service opens yet another chapter in improving the relations between our two countries. When President Musharraf had come to visit us in New Delhi last year I had said that "The journey of peace must be based on a step-by-step approach, but the road must be travelled."

    "As an ancient saying goes, a road is made by walking. I am happy that we are moving forward and creating a road, one step after another," he said. "The bus service from Srinagar to Muzzafarabad was one step. The rail link from Munnabao to Khokrapar was another step. The steps we have taken to promote trade and to make travel and transport easier are all small but important steps forward. Today, we take another step. A historic step," he added. "As I see it, the normalization of relations between India and Pakistan will open up enormous opportunities for an accelerated rate of economic growth. And for creating new job opportunities, our trade potential is far in excess of what we are able to realize on the ground. We must encourage people-to-people contacts between actors in civil society, between academics, businessmen, artistes, and most importantly, the common people. It is through such contacts that we can explore a vision for a cooperative common future for our two nations," he said. "We must move forward. We want to move forward. We need to do much more to create the environment in which we can move forward. It is possible for us to come to a meaningful agreement on all issues. I am convinced we can move forward," Dr. Singh said. "Today is a day of hope for Punjab. Punjab has seen many years of great pain and sorrow. Punjab has seen many years of waste and violence. But the past is behind us. This Golden Land of ours is once again bounteous and filled with joy," he said.

     Dr. Singh also used the event to highlight his Government's steps to restore the glory of Amritsar, including sanctioning of Rs.72 crore for completing the Galiara Project around Sri Harmandir Sahib, establishing a centre of research on Sri Guru Grabth Sahib Studies in the Guru Nanak Dev University and allocation of Rs.48 crore for the completion of the Khalsa Heritage Project at Anandpur Sahib. "I am happy to announce that we are taking further steps for the development of Amritsar. This is a holy city, a historic city with a great past and an international city whose people reside in all corners of the world. Both Amritsar and Ludhiana are covered under the new Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Through this, we can fund the Sri Guru Ram Das Urban Development Project in Amritsar costing nearly Rs.240 crore and an elevated road project costing Rs.210 crores. The state government should pursue these on priority," he said. Dr. Singh also expressed his happiness over the state government finalizing the development of a Special Economic Zone in Amritsar.

Pakistan welcomes hand of friendship

     Islamabad: The Government of Pakistan today welcomed Indian Prime Minister's offer of a hand of friendship and peace, saying the positive sentiments expressed at the launching of the first bus service from Amritsar to Nankana Sahib would go a long way in furthering regional and subcontinental stability. Speaking on behalf of the Government, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told a foreign news agency that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute was of paramount importance to Islamabad, saying once this goal is achieved, the full potential of South Asians would come to the fore. "We have always stated that the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir issue can release the full potential of the peoples of South Asia to make progress and fight poverty, disease and ignorance. We believe the speech (Manmohan Singh) has some very positive sentiments and also strong acknowledgement emphasizing the need to move forward on Jammu and Kashmir and other issues. The Indian Prime Minister has also talked about Pakistan and India addressing the issue of poverty, disease and ignorance," Aslam told the foreign agency. Aslam further went on to say that it was the responsibility of both countries to take bold steps while maintaining a sincerity and flexibility of purpose to overcome the legacy of the past. Commenting on Prime Minister Singh's praise of President Musharraf's tackling of terrorism, Aslam said that Pakistan has done more than any other country in the world to counter terrorism, and added that the country has been a major victim of terrorism. It was the responsibility of all countries to combat this menace, she added.

Back to Headlines                  Go To Top