Forget borders, Let’s make LoC a line of peace: PM

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Forget borders,

Let’s make LoC a line of peace: PM

"Forget borders, let’s make LoC a line of peace", this is what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted when he visited Jammu & Kashmir on Sunday July 15, 2007. He was speaking at a special convocation where he was conferred the Doctorate of Letters by Jammu University. Almost every leading newspaper carried this news. Following is what Times of India carried the next day with Anil Kotwal's byline.

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Jammu: Ruling out redrawing of borders in Jammu & Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday that the Line of Control (LoC) could become a “line of peace’’ with a free flow of ideas, goods, services and people.

“The borders cannot be changed (but) they can be made irrelevant and the LoC can become the ‘line of peace’...I hope and believe that J&K can one day become a symbol of India-Pakistan cooperation rather than conflict,’’ the PM said. Speaking at a special convocation where he was conferred the Doctorate of Letters by Jammu University, Singh asserted that there would not be any discontinuation of the dialogue process with Pakistan. “Our dialogue with Pakistan seeks to end the bitter legacy of the last 60 years, and begin a new chapter in our bilateral relations,’’ he said, and added that it was time to make a genuine effort to build peace and create conditions for a historic reconciliation of hearts and minds in the region.

“India,’’ the PM said, “Knows better than anyone else about the tragic consequences of war, terrorism, conflict and displacement’’ after living with tension and periods of violence both internally and in its relations with Pakistan for the past six decades.

Hinting at Pakistan’s objections to India’s efforts to build hydel projects on rivers flowing through J&K, the PM said natural resources of the state could be used for the benefit of the people and should not be a source of conflict.

“We could use land and water resources of the region jointly for the benefit of the people living on both sides of the LoC. Similarly, there are vast opportunities to work together for the mutual benefit of the people,’’ he said.

Adding a caveat, he said this could happen only after 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.’’

The government, he said, was firm in its resolve to fight terrorism and to end the blackmail of terrorists in the state. “We will never allow anyone to stop the heartbeat of a peace-loving people, whatever the cause.’’

(Times of India, July 16, 2007)

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