PM seeks end to problems with Pak

NEW DELHI, March 15: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said a quot;permanent solutionquot; has to be found to contentious issue...

NEW DELHI, March 15: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said a quot;permanent solutionquot; has to be found to contentious issues with Pakistan to prevent a conflict. Peace, he said, was the only option before the two nuclear neighbours.

Winding up a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President8217;s address, he said, quot;We are now having nuclear weapons with us. There is no option but to live together as good neighbours. Nuclear arms are for protection and not for attacking each other. This has proved to be helpful in maintaining peace.quot;

He asked Islamabad to take steps to stop the infiltration of mercenaries and terrorists across the border, saying this could prove to be a hurdle in friendship between the two countries. After the PM8217;s reply, Parliament adopted the motion of thanks with the Lok Sabha rejecting Opposition amendments by a voice vote. The Rajya Sabha has already approved the motion.

Vajpayee condemned the growing religious intolerance in the country, saying it was aquot;danger signalquot; as the country was known for its tolerance.

He described the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Orissa as a 8220;heinous crime8221;, saying such incidents were politically exploited to show India in a bad light. quot;We have to set our house in order so as to ensure that such incidents are not exploited by outside elements,quot; the Prime Minister said.

Referring to his Government8217;s year-long tenure in office, Vajpayee said an attempt was being made to make the coalition experiment a success, maintaining that for some more time to come, no single, major national party would be able to form a government on its own.

He said the Government had taken steps to improve the situation that existed before the coalition came to power and claimed that it had succeeded in bringing about economic stability.

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The PM said the Government would soon bring in a new agriculture policy and a modified crop insurance scheme effective from this year8217;s kharif season.

He also said theGovernment had prepared a document on family planning, which has been discussed by the Cabinet, and a small group of ministers has been constituted to go into the problem in detail.