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The following is the text of the statement by the External Affairs Minister Shri K. Natwar Singh at New Delhi after the visit to Pakistan:
“I have had a productive and useful visit to Pakistan. As you are aware, this was the first bilateral visit of an Indian External Affairs Minister to Pakistan in 16 years.
I received a very warm welcome and friendly reception and my talks with President Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Kasuri were marked by cordiality and a shared desire to take our relationship forward towards the goal of peace, mutual understanding and a shared prosperity.
It now seems that there is a groundswell of goodwill and positive sentiment among people in both our countries for a relationship free from hostility and bitterness. This has enabled our two Governments to conclude significant agreements towards building confidence and trust.
These include the long-awaited Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, which has been uniformly welcomed by all sections of society in both India and Pakistan, but particularly by the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
No doubt, we have differences between us. I underlined to the Pakistani leaders that the peace process could only be sustained in an atmosphere free from violence and terrorism and that the solemn assurances contained in the January 6, 2004 Joint Statement must be implemented fully.
Just before returning to Delhi, I spent a few hours in Lahore. Our decision to open a bus service between Amritsar and Lahore was warmly welcomed in the city, just as it has been in our Punjab. The Governor of Punjab received me with warmth and Chief Minister Elahi graciously hosted a lunch for me.
There was also an interaction with SAFMA (South Asia Free Media Association), which is a grouping of leading media personalities from South Asian countries. In all these interactions, I encountered a new spirit of goodwill and a commitment to open the doors between our two countries even wider in the days to come.
It is this foundation of positive sentiment and hope at the levels of people that gives us the conviction that the current peace process is more firmly anchored and more capable of yielding results than similar initiatives in the past.
It is in this spirit that we pledge to carry forward the dialogue between our countries in the days to come. “
AK/SK/JA
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