Stressing for more people-to-people contacts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said his government was committed to resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan, including Kashmir, and sought effective strategies to bring peace in the sub-continent.
"There are two dimensions to the problem of Jammu and Kashmir. One being the relationship between Delhi and Srinagar and the other the relationship between Delhi and Islamabad," he said in his concluding remarks at the second two-day round-table on Kashmir in Srinagar.
"I have said repeatedly to President (Pervez) Musharraf and the people of Pakistan that we are sincerely committed to peace and development in the region. Our government is committed to resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir," the prime minister said.
Observing that there is a 'realisation that terrorism is an enemy of civilised societies,' he said normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan would open up enormous opportunities for an accelerated growth of economy.
"We must encourage people-to-people contacts between both sides. It is through such contacts that we can explore a vision for a cooperative common future for our nations... where our citizens rejoice in the well being of the other country," Dr Singh said.
The prime minister emphasised that India and Pakistan must devise effective cooperative strategies to give concrete shape to shared vision of a better future where peace prevails and relations are friendly. "We are sincerely committed to prosperity, development, unity and well being of Pakistan. We want people of South Asia to live a life of dignity and self-respect. When our neighbours live in peace, we live in peace," he said.
"The peace process with Pakistan has generated high expectations and I am glad that this process has received demonstrable public support. We are awaiting Pakistan's response to some concrete suggestions made by us," Dr Singh said.
During the press conference, the prime minister refused to divulge details of the proposals made by India to Pakistan. Calling for a step-by-step forward movement, he said, "We must have the courage to see each other as supporting the other for realisation of a better tomorrow for the people of India and Pakistan. I have stated earlier and will repeat once again that I have a vision that peace making process must ultimately culminate in our two countries entering into a treaty of peace, security and friendship to give meaning to our quest for shared goals."
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