Marching ahead on the peace path

Joint declaration: We must work together

The fresh confidence building measures , including the decision to increase the frequency of the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, and allow trucks to use this road to promote trade, were contained in a joint statement issued at the end of the 3-day visit of President Pervez Musharraf.

The statement, read out by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Musharraf by his side at the Hyderabad House where they held talks yesterday, said the two leaders determined that the peace process was now irreversible.

The two sides agreed to open additional routes between Poonch and Rawalkot and start a rail link between Khokhrapar in Rajasthan and Munnabao in Pakistan's Sindh province by January 1, 2006.

The two-page statement said both sides looked forward to an early start of the bus service between Amritsar and Lahore, and to religious places such as the Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

They decided to pursue further measures to enhance interaction and co-operation along the line of control (LoC), including "agreed meeting points for divided families, trade, pilgrimages and cultural interactions".

Condemning the attempts to disrupt the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, the two leaders pledged that they would "not allow terrorism to impede the peace process," the statement said. Singh said the two sides addressed the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and agreed to continue these discussions in a "sincere and purposeful and forward looking manner for a final settlement".

"They were satisfied with the discussions and expressed their determination to work together to carry forward the process and to bring the benefit of peace to their people," the statement said.

Both sides "assessed positively" the progress that has been made so far through confidence building, people-to-people contacts and enhancing areas of interaction, and were determined to build on the momentum already achieved.

Significantly, the document made a mention of the joint press statement of January 6, 2004 during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit and the statement issued in New York on September 24, last year, after Singh's first meeting with Musharraf.

Both statements had spoken about Musharraf's assurance that territory under Pakistan's control would not be allowed to be used for terrorist activities against India.

Unlike the failed Agra Summit in 2001, when Musharraf left India on a bitter note, the atmosphere this time was one of bonhomie. It was agreed that respective consulates in Mumbai and Karachi would be opened before the end of this year.

They decided that ministers of petroleum and natural gas would meet in may this year to explore co-operation in this sector on the issue of pipelines. The two sides are expected to discuss the proposed Iran-India gas pipeline through Pakistan.

The statement said, conscious of the "historic opportunity" created by the improved environment in relations and the overwhelming desire of the peoples of the two nations for "durable peace", the two leaders had "substantive talks" on all issues. "They determined that the peace process was now irreversible," the statement said.

On the issues of Sir Creek and Siachen, they instructed that the existing institutional mechanisms should convene discussions immediately with a view to finding "mutually acceptable" solutions to both issues expeditiously.

It was agreed that enhanced economic and commercial co-operation would contribute to the well-being of the people of the two countries and bring a higher level of prosperity . "The two leading econo-mies of South Asia should work together for the greater prosperity of the region," the statement said.