LoP and not LoC, says PM Manmohan Singh

Abhishek Behl, www.merinews.com,
merinews network



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday called for a 'historic reconciliation of hearts and minds in our region' in a fresh peace overture to Pakistan. He urged that the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir should become a 'line of peace'.



THE ASPIRATIONS of all sections of people in each of the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh would be taken into account while pursuing the development of a united State of Jammu & Kashmir. He also urged the people of the state to work towards making the line of control redundant.

Calling upon people of the state to join hands, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said when power flows to the grassroots and every community gets space, there is no sense of discrimination. “I appeal, therefore, to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to join hands in building a glorious future for all the young people of this beautiful state. Our dialogue with Pakistan seeks to end the bitter legacy of the last 60 years, and begin a new chapter in our bilateral relations.

The Prime Minister was speaking at Special function organized at the Jammu University to honour him with Honoris Causa. He was conferred with a Degree of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the Chancellor of the University of Jammu, Lt. Gen.(Retd.) S. K. Sinha, in Jammu yesterday.

Exhorting upon all the stakeholders to seize the chance of making history, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that time is ripe for making a genuine effort to build peace and create the conditions for a historic reconciliation of hearts and minds in the region. For sixty years, he said, “we have lived with tension and periods of violence, both internally and in our relations with Pakistan. You all know, better than anyone else, the tragic consequences of war, terrorism, conflict and displacement.”

Asserting that the LoC could be made redundant, the PM said that he hoped and believed that Jammu and Kashmir can, one day, become a symbol of India-Pakistan cooperation rather than of conflict. “As I have stated earlier, borders cannot be changed, but they can be made irrelevant. There can be no question of divisions or partitions, but the Line of Control can become a line of peace with a freer flow of ideas, goods, services and people. We could, for example, use the land and water resources of the region jointly for the benefit of all the people living on both sides of the Line of Control. Similarly, there are vast opportunities to jointly work together for the mutual benefit of our people,” he added.

Manmohan Singh also said, “It goes without saying that this can only happen once terrorism and violence end permanently. I have said this before and I say it again, real political power in a democracy comes from the ballot box, not the barrel of a gun. We are firm in our resolve to fight terrorism and to end the blackmail of terror in this peace-loving State. We are committed to winning the hearts and minds of all.”