India has vital interest in trying to make peace with Pak: PM

Underlining that India has vital interest in trying to make peace with Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today promised to meet its leadership "more than half-way" if it takes "strong and effective" steps to prevent terrorism directed against this country.     

Replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in the Lok Sabha, he hoped the Pakistani leadership will demonstrate "courage, determination and statesmanship" to act against terror and "create an atmosphere" for improvement of ties.     

"It is in our vital interest to try again to make peace with Pakistan but it takes two hands to clap," he said.     

"We expect the government of Pakistan to take strong, effective and sustained action to prevent terrorism directed against India and use every means at its service to bring to justice the perpetrators of terror attacks, including the Mumbai attacks," the Prime Minister said.     

He said such actions will be welcomed by people of both the countries.     

"If the leadership of Pakistan has courage, determination and statesmanship to act against terror, I assure them we will meet them more than the half-way," Singh said.

"There are some disturbing trends. I do hope government of Pakistan will create an atmosphere where we can reach the goal of peace," Singh said.     

He told the House that India was living in a neighbourhood of "great turbulence" and it was in the interest of New Delhi to see that there was peace and stability in the region.     

"India cannot realise its ambitions unless there is peace, prosperity and stability in South Asia as a whole. If our neighbourhood is suffering from instability and turbulence, it has a direct bearing on our evolution as a democratic polity committed to the sustained growth and development," the Prime Minister said.     

He said he has a "vision for a transformed" South Asia from poverty to prosperity and from insecurity to lasting peace because what is at stake is the future of 1.5 billion people living in the region.     

Talking about relations with China, Singh said India would work to resolve the boundary issue while ensuring its territorial integrity and security.     

He said China is India's strategic partner and there is enough space for both to develop and contribute to global peace and security.     

"A strong and stable relationship with China is in mutual benefit... I do not see the relationship in an antagonistic manner...India has a multi-faceted relationship (with China)," he said adding that both countries have cooperated on issues like terrorism and climate change.

Underlining government's commitment to 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, the Prime Minister said it has taken several steps to gear up the security apparatus after 26/11 attacks to prevent recurrence of such strikes.     

In this context, he talked about gearing up of maritime security, setting up of Multi-Agency Centre, improvement of actionable intelligence gathering and sharing and online transfer of actionable intelligence, besides formation of National Investigation Agency and "significant" amendments to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.     

He said four NSG hubs have been set up and more will be created. "These processes will be completed shortly," he said.     

Home Minister P Chidambaram is in constant dialogue with Chief Ministers on the issue of security.     

"As government, we will be doing all we can to bring terrorist elements under control," he said adding that President Pratibha Patil has talked about 'zero tolerance' against terrorism and that will be his government's policy.     

About Left-wing extremism, he said the "misguided youth" have to be brought back into mainstream.     

"Violence is no way to get grievances addressed. Democracy gives scope for expressing views through ballot. We have seen rebels of yesterday ending as rulers. That is beauty of democratic polity. We cannot allow violence to be seen as a tool of getting results," Singh said.     

He said the problem needs to be dealt with at two fronts — law and order and ensuring that benefits of development reach the poor people of tribal areas.