Turn LoC into Line of Peace: PM

8220;I hope and believe 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,8221; he said.

8220;There can no be question of divisions or fresh partitions, but the Line of Control can become a line of peace.8221; He also made it clear that 8220;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.8221;

Admitting there were some hurdles in talks with Pakistan, Singh said New Delhi will continue the dialogue with Islamabad 8220;despite difficulties, in this spirit because I genuinely believe that there is no alternative but to work for building peace8221;.

The dialogue with Pakistan, he said, is aimed at ending the 8220;bitter legacy of the last 60 years, and begin a new chapter in our bilateral relations8221;.

On turning J038;K into a symbol of Indo-Pakistan cooperation, Singh said the state8217;s natural resources could be used for the benefit of the people. 8220;They resources need no longer be points of contention or a source of conflict. We could, for instance, use the land and water resources of the region jointly for the benefit of all the people living on both sides of the LoC. Similarly, there are vast opportunities to jointly work together for the mutual benefit of our people,8221; he said.

At the same time, Singh made it clear that the dream for a 8220;line of peace8221; could be realised only 8220;once terrorism and violence end permanently8230; We are committed to winning the hearts and minds of all. We will never allow anyone to stop the heartbeat of peace-loving people in whatever cause.8221;

Regretting the absence of separatist leaders from the roundtable conferences on Kashmir, he hoped they would 8220;come to recognise the historic significance and the transparent sincerity of the process and will join it in future8221;.

Singh said he was awaiting the report of the fifth working group on Centre-state relations.

The aspirations of people in the three regions 8212; Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh 8212; must be taken into account, he said. 8220;I believe it is possible to pursue the development of a united state of Jammu and Kashmir even while respecting and addressing the legitimate aspirations of the people of each of the three regions.8221;

On his dream of a 8220;Naya Kashmir8221; new Kashmir, Singh said the people of J038;K were the stakeholders in this and it would come true through their energetic participation.