‘Borders cannot be redrawn but we can work towards making them irrelevant’

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 realisation in both our countries that terrorism is an enemy of civilised 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.

... contd.

Ads By Google

Message*	Maximum characters allowed

Name*		Email ID*
Subject*		Country*

TERMS OF USE:
The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

I agree to the terms of use.