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- By Parinda News Bureau, March 25, 11:43 IST
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday offered a "Treaty of Peace, Security and Friendship" to Pakistan as a culmination of the ongoing process.
At the same time, he termed as a "mistake" Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's linking of normalisation of bilateral relations with the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir issue and said India was not afraid of discussing pragmatic and practical solutions to it.
Flagging off the Amritsar-Nankana bus service linking the two Punjabs, he also said "meaningful agreement" was possible on issues like Siachen, Sir Creek and Baglihar.
"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", Singh said.
"I make this offer to the people of Pakistan on this historic occasion. I am sure the leadership of Pakistan will reciprocate", he said.
The Prime Minister said, "The time has come to leave behind the animosities and misgivings of the past and to think the unthinkable."
Singh complimented Musharraf for taking "bold steps" to curb extremism said "more needs to be done in the interest of both India and Pakistan".
On Musharraf's oft-repeated statements that normalisation of bilateral relations cannot move forward unless the "core" issue of J and K is resolved, the Prime Minister said "in my view, it is a mistake to link normalisation of other relations with finding a solution to J and K".
On issues like Siachen, Sir Creek and Baglihar, he said a "meaningful" agreement on them was possible if "all concerned are willing to accept the ground realities."
Recalling his statement that borders cannot be redrawn but the two sides work towards making them irrelevant, he said people on both sides of the LoC should be able to move freely and trade with one another.
Singh said he envisaged a situation where the two parts of J and K could, with the active encouragement of Indian and Pakistani governments, work out cooperative, consultative mechanisms so as to maximise gains of cooperation in solving problems of social and economic development.
"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 10 the prosperity, unity, development and wellbeing of Pakistan", he said.
The Prime Minister said instead of looking at each other as "adversaries", the two countries should support each other for the realisation of a better tomorrow for the people.
India and Pakistan must work together to open up new opportunities of economic cooperation, not only in 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".
Launching die bus service, he said, "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 way, it is a historic day for both India and Pakistan".
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