Manmohan Singh offers Pakistan a Treaty of Peace, Security and Friendship
SAYS “MEANINGFUL AGREEMENT” POSSIBLE ON SIACHEN, SIR CREEK AND BAGLIHAR
NOT AFRAID OF DISCUSSING “PRAGMATIC, PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS” ON ISSUE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR
PM LAUNCHES AMRITSAR-NANKANA SAHIB BUS SERVICE
Flagging off the Amritsar – Nankana Sahib bus
service, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh extended a hand of friendship to the
people of Pakistan and proposed a bilateral Treaty of Peace, Security and
Friendship.
Stating that it is possible for India and Pakistan to come to a “meaningful
agreement” on issues like Siachen, Sir Creek and Baglihar, the Prime Minister
said it would be “a mistake to link normalization
of other relations with finding a solution to Jammu & Kashmir.” However,
Dr Singh added, “we are not afraid of discussing Jammu & Kashmir or of
finding, pragmatic, practical solutions to resolve this issue as well.” The Prime Minister also said, “I am convinced 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.”
The Prime Minister complimented President Pervez Musharraf
for taking “bold steps to curb extremism” but added, “But more needs to be
done in the interest of both India and Pakistan.
Dr Singh said, “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 centers serving the entire region.”
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.”
On the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister
also added that “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 & 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.”
Following
is the full text of Prime Minister’s address on the occasion:
“I am extremely happy to be here in Amritsar on this very
important occasion of the launch of a regular bus service between Amritsar
and Nankana Sahib. This is indeed a memorable day for 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.
Ever since the Independence of our country in 1947, every
morning, every devout Sikh prays to let us have free access to the Gurudwaras
left behind in Pakistan. And among the Gurudwaras, Nankana Sahib is the holiest
and most important. 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.
We need more such links between the two countries in the
months and years to come. For this, we require friendly relations between
India and Pakistan. 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 traveled.” 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, even though many hurdles have come up along the way. 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. This bus service
from Amritsar to Nankana Sahib renews an emotional bond between the two sides
of the border.
I have said repeatedly to President Musharraf and the people
of Pakistan that we are sincerely committed to peace and development in this
region. Our government is committed to resolving all outstanding issues with
Pakistan, including the issue of Jammu & Kashmir. For this, I and General
Musharraf have agreed that it is necessary
to keep firm control over terrorism. There is a growing realization in both
our countries that terrorism is an enemy of civilized societies. General Musharraf
has taken bold steps to curb extremism and I compliment him for that.
But more needs to be done in the interest of both India and Pakistan.
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. 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.
I
am aware that General Musharraf has
often stated that the normalization of relations between our two countries
cannot move forward unless what he calls the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir
is dealt with. In my view, it is a mistake to link normalization of other
relations with finding a solution to Jammu & Kashmir. But we are not afraid
of discussing Jammu & Kashmir or of finding, pragmatic, practical solutions
to resolve this issue as well.
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 & 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
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. We want good neighbourly
relations. We want all the people of South Asia to live a life of dignity
and self-respect. When our neighbours live in peace, we live in peace.
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 issues like Siachen, Sir Creek, Baglihar. I am convinced
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. 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 centers serving the entire
region.
Instead of looking at each other as
adversaries, we must have the courage to see each other as supporting the
other for the realization of a better tomorrow for all the people of India
and Pakistan. 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. I
make this offer to the people of Pakistan on this historic occasion. I am
sure the leadership of Pakistan will reciprocate.
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. Our government in Delhi
and in Punjab have been working tirelessly for the development of the state.
I am delighted to inform you that during the recent past
after my last visit our Government has taken several steps to restore the
glory of Amritsar. We have sanctioned Rs. 72 crore to complete the Galiara
Project around Sri Harmandir Sahib. We have established a Centre of Research
on Sri Guru Granth Sahib Studies in the Guru Nanak Dev University. We have
allocated Rs. 48 crore for the completion of the Khalsa Heritage Project at Anandpur Sahib. I believe the first phase of
it will be inaugurated next month.
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. 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 crore. The state government should pursue these on priority. The Amritsar-Wagah Road will be widened and made into
a top class road so that it can become an international highway for trade,
travel and tourism. We are taking steps for the upgradation
of facilities at Attari Railway Station, being a major International Railway
Station of the country. I am also happy that the state government has finalized
the development of a Special Economic Zone in Amritsar. This city and its
neighborhood had a great industrial past. We need to revive it and the SEZ
is one such step.
I am also concerned about the problems being faced by industry
which had come up in Goindwal Industrial Complex. I am confident that the Punjab Government will
look into all the issues and come up with a package for its revival. I assure all necessary support from the Government
of India in this regard.
I am also proud to announce that we have decided to hand
over the historic Gobindgarh fort to the Punjab Government. A historic fort
that has been so dear to the Punjabis is now once again their own.
Our Government has taken many steps
for the development of Punjab. We have provided in the Union Budget a sum
of Rs. 100 crore to the Punjab Agricultural University. This university must utilize these funds to
generate a Second Green Revolution in Punjab. The hard working farmers of
this lovely state feed the nation and made us secure as far as food is concerned.
They created the first green revolution. We now need to move forward and transform
the agriculture to the next level. As I travel across the country, I see states
like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu increasingly going
for commercial agriculture centered around horticulture. Punjab farmers need
to do the same if they are to keep ahead of the rest of the country.
We will work with the state government to realize this goal by establishing
the necessary marketing and storage infrastructure and transport facilities.
The high speed rail freight corridor connecting our Western and Eastern ports
has been extended to Punjab to enable easy transport of goods. We are also
working towards creating a second international airport in Punjab near Ludhiana
and I hope this materializes in the coming months.
Punjab has had a glorious history of industrial
growth. Each town and city has been renowned for specific industrial products –
bicycles, hosiery, machine tools, sports goods, etc. Over the last two decades,
however, Punjab has lost its leadership role in many areas. We need a new wave
of industrialization in the state. We need large industries which will generate
demand for ancillary products. We need to provide technology and marketing
support to small industries. We need to create a skilled pool of people who can
drive this growth. We need to have better roads, transport facilities and power
supply.
Steps are being taken towards this end. We have allocated 1500 MWs of
power to Punjab from a Super Thermal Power Station to be set up in
Chhattisgarh and 1200 MWs of power from other Power Stations in the country.
Power supply in and around Amritsar will improve greatly through the creation
of a major new sub-station at Amritsar at a cost of Rs 150 crore. We are
establishing an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Punjab. I
have directed the National Highways Authority of India to complete at an early
date the 4-laning of widening of the following roads:
Ø
Amritsar-Jalandhar Road;
Ø
Amritsar-Pathankot Road;
Ø
Kiratpur-Chandigarh Road;
Ø
Ambala-Chandigarh Road;
Ø and also take up early the 6-laning of Ambala‑Jalandhar
Road and Ludhiana‑Chandigarh Road.
Our Government has also decided to
develop on-port and off-port facilities at Wagah International Border. This
includes reducing waiting time for immigration and custom formalities at Wagah.
We will modernize customs infrastructure at Wagah and speed up security clearance.
We propose to expand immigration, customs and security halls and increase
number of counters, and provide better amenities. We will make it easier for
the arrival and departure of jathas
and delegations. An animal quarantine station will be set up for exporters
of live stock. We will improve facilities for the Amritsar-Lahore buses. We
are also improving the infrastructure for the Beating Retreat ceremony at
Wagah border post.
Punjab
is the granary of India. Every farmer in Punjab is a proud soldier in our
war against poverty and hunger. Your hard work has made India proud and prosperous.
Your courage and enterprise makes each one of us proud. As a son of Punjab
I salute every son and daughter of this great land. May your path be blessed.”
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YSR/DS/LV
(Release ID :16775)