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PM asks Pak to give up anti-India attitude
New Delhi, Aug 15: Asking Pakistan to give up its `anti-India outlook`, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday invited Islamabad to `walk together` with India on the road to peace.
New Delhi, Aug 15: Asking Pakistan to give up its "anti-India outlook", Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday invited Islamabad to "walk together" with India on the road to peace.
"This road is decidedly bumpy. There are even mines strewn along this path. Yet, once we start walking, we will find the hurdles getting out of our way," Vajpayee declared in his address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 57th Independence Day amid rains.
Emphasising that India wanted to settle all outstanding issues with its neighbours peacefully, the Prime Minister said that in recent months there had been some progress in normalising relations with Pakistan.
"Nevertheless, terrorist activities are still continuing. The test of our neighbour's sincerity lies in whether he is prepared to stop cross-border terrorism totally," Vajpayee said in his sixth Independence Day address.
"Our frequent initiatives to normalise relations with Pakistan are not a sign of our weakness, rather they are an indication of our commitment to peace," he said.
Vajpayee, who spoke from behind a bullet-proof glass shield, said, "We hope Pakistan abjures its anti-India outlook. The people of both countries wish to live in peace."
Vajpayee said that he had been telling his Pakistani friends, "We have spent 50 years fighting. How much more blood is yet to be spilt? The two of us need to fight against poverty, against unemployment and against backwardness." Stressing the need to increase trade and economic links between India and Pakistan, he said, "When we share a 2000-km long border, it makes no sense for us to trade via third country."
Vajpayee added, "Let people travel to and fro. Let more and more elected representatives visit each other's country. Let us expand bilateral cultural relations. Let us open some new doors, new windows and new ventilators in the walls that divide us," he said.
On improvement of ties with Pakistan, Vajpayee said that the love that the two-year-old girl Noor from Lahore, who underwent a heart surgery in Bangalore, received in India, carried a message "which our friends in Pakistan should understand".
Vajpayee announced that he would be visiting Srinagar at the end of this month. "I had gone to Srinagar a few months back. I am going there again at the end of this month. The atmosphere there is changing."
Recalling that the Centre fulfilled its promise of holding free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister said that the polls demonstrated yet again the fact that the people of Kashmir had rebuffed terrorism from across the border. "The people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have faith in democracy. They want peace. They would like to see happiness return to their lives," he said.
Vajpayee said that the people who advocated the right to self-determination in Kashmir, wanted to divide India on communal lines. "They will not be allowed to succeed in this," he said.
The Prime Minister said "knotty issues" in J&K could be unravelled only through dialogue. "We shall take forward the efforts that have been initiated in this direction. People who have been uprooted have to be resettled in their homes."
In his 25-minute speech, the Prime Minister announced India's decision to send its own spacecraft Chandrayaan-I to Moon by 2008.
He also announced launch of mobile telephony in Jammu and Kashmir next week besides declaring a slew of measures to boost country's economy.
These included provision of credit card to artisans, weavers and fishermen on the lines of Kisan Credit Card and reduction to nine per cent a year the rate of interest on loans to farmers.
Maintaining that the Government was prepared to fight corruption at all levels, Vajpayee said, "After the experience so far, I have come to the conclusion that there is imperative need for greater commitment and accountability in our system of governance, which has the responsibility of implementing policies and decisions."
"There is delay in Government offices even for getting right work done. Delays breed corruption," he said, adding that the Government has decided to enact the Lok Pal bill which has been pending for several decades.
Vajpayee said, "In spite of opposition from some people, I have personally brought the Prime Minister within the ambit of its investigation, so that you can even book your Prime Minister if he commits any wrong."
He also declared that stringent steps were being taken against economic offenders. On the economic front, Vajpayee said India, which was used to borrowing from abroad, has now started lending to others.
He took pride in announcing that India which was perennially troubled by paucity of foreign exchange, had today accumulated 100 billion US dollars.
"The prices of essential commodities are under control. There is no shortage of anything in the market. Poverty is declining. It is our resolve to eradicate it faster," Vajpayee said.
Expressing happiness over completion of five years of National Democratic Alliance, the Prime Minister said that all previous experiments in running coalition governments at the Centre had failed. "We have succeeded," he remarked.
"Today there is a tremendous hunger for development among the people," he said, adding, they want a stable government which was both determined to improve their living conditions and also capable of doing so.
While there was growing trend towards wanting to work together, there was also a scenario of disarray, Vajpayee said.
The Centre, he said, had established cooperative relations with state governments of different political parties. "Political discrimination on account of ideological differences is unacceptable to us," Vajpayee added.
There was reduction of poverty and telephone and gas connections were now available on demand. The number of mobile phones had risen to 1.5 crore from a mere eight lakh and in the next one year, 1.5 crore new subscribers would be added, he said.
Vajpayee announced an ambitious Akshaya Patra scheme to provide mid-day meals to students upto standard V across the country, which would be later extended to pupils upto standard X.
He said that under the Prime Minister's Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, six hospitals on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi would be set up across the country over the next three years.
Pointing out that 60 crore of the total population of 100 crore were youth less than 30 years, Vajpayee said India was a young nation once again and that one should understand their "heartbeats and dreams and guide them".
The Prime Minister said that over three lakh people were currently working on the Rs 54,000 crore North-South and East-West Corridor project and their number would increase to six lakhs next year.
Terming as "a national resolve" the proposal to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the Prime Minister regretted that it had become difficult to pass the Women's Reservation Bill in its original form because of lack of consensus in Parliament.
"A new proposal has been brought forward that seeks to create 33 per cent double-member seats, in which one of them is reserved for women. This is a practical suggestion," he said, adding if there was any other suggestion on which a consensus was possible, it should be implemented.
"There should be no further delay in realising this goal, for which our sisters have been waiting for a long time," he said.
Asserting that the Government accorded top priority to national security, the Prime Minister said that the first act of his regime was to make India a nuclear weapon state for self defence in 1998.
"The world is changing. New challenges are emerging before us. We have to make India stronger both economically and socially," he said.
Deriding those who wished to divide the society on the basis of religion, caste or community, Vajpayee said, "India is a multi-religious nation," and added, "It is against both its nature and culture to practice discrimination or to do injustice to anybody on the grounds of faith. We should always care for the minority and be attentive towards their welfare," he said.
On the peace process in the Northeast, Vajpayee said the talks were yielding "positive results".
He said, "The hands that took up the gun now wish to participate in the development of their region. The Government is ready to welcome them."
Before going to the Red Fort where he unfurled the national tricolour, Vajpayee paid homage at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.
Among others who attended the Independence Day function at the Red Fort were Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, former prime ministers VP Singh, HD Deve Gowda, PV Narasimha Rao and IK Gujral, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, ministers, diplomats and top civil and military officials.
Emphasising that India wanted to settle all outstanding issues with its neighbours peacefully, the Prime Minister said that in recent months there had been some progress in normalising relations with Pakistan.
"Nevertheless, terrorist activities are still continuing. The test of our neighbour's sincerity lies in whether he is prepared to stop cross-border terrorism totally," Vajpayee said in his sixth Independence Day address.
"Our frequent initiatives to normalise relations with Pakistan are not a sign of our weakness, rather they are an indication of our commitment to peace," he said.
Vajpayee, who spoke from behind a bullet-proof glass shield, said, "We hope Pakistan abjures its anti-India outlook. The people of both countries wish to live in peace."
Vajpayee said that he had been telling his Pakistani friends, "We have spent 50 years fighting. How much more blood is yet to be spilt? The two of us need to fight against poverty, against unemployment and against backwardness." Stressing the need to increase trade and economic links between India and Pakistan, he said, "When we share a 2000-km long border, it makes no sense for us to trade via third country."
Vajpayee added, "Let people travel to and fro. Let more and more elected representatives visit each other's country. Let us expand bilateral cultural relations. Let us open some new doors, new windows and new ventilators in the walls that divide us," he said.
On improvement of ties with Pakistan, Vajpayee said that the love that the two-year-old girl Noor from Lahore, who underwent a heart surgery in Bangalore, received in India, carried a message "which our friends in Pakistan should understand".
Vajpayee announced that he would be visiting Srinagar at the end of this month. "I had gone to Srinagar a few months back. I am going there again at the end of this month. The atmosphere there is changing."
Recalling that the Centre fulfilled its promise of holding free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister said that the polls demonstrated yet again the fact that the people of Kashmir had rebuffed terrorism from across the border. "The people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have faith in democracy. They want peace. They would like to see happiness return to their lives," he said.
Vajpayee said that the people who advocated the right to self-determination in Kashmir, wanted to divide India on communal lines. "They will not be allowed to succeed in this," he said.
The Prime Minister said "knotty issues" in J&K could be unravelled only through dialogue. "We shall take forward the efforts that have been initiated in this direction. People who have been uprooted have to be resettled in their homes."
In his 25-minute speech, the Prime Minister announced India's decision to send its own spacecraft Chandrayaan-I to Moon by 2008.
He also announced launch of mobile telephony in Jammu and Kashmir next week besides declaring a slew of measures to boost country's economy.
These included provision of credit card to artisans, weavers and fishermen on the lines of Kisan Credit Card and reduction to nine per cent a year the rate of interest on loans to farmers.
Maintaining that the Government was prepared to fight corruption at all levels, Vajpayee said, "After the experience so far, I have come to the conclusion that there is imperative need for greater commitment and accountability in our system of governance, which has the responsibility of implementing policies and decisions."
"There is delay in Government offices even for getting right work done. Delays breed corruption," he said, adding that the Government has decided to enact the Lok Pal bill which has been pending for several decades.
Vajpayee said, "In spite of opposition from some people, I have personally brought the Prime Minister within the ambit of its investigation, so that you can even book your Prime Minister if he commits any wrong."
He also declared that stringent steps were being taken against economic offenders. On the economic front, Vajpayee said India, which was used to borrowing from abroad, has now started lending to others.
He took pride in announcing that India which was perennially troubled by paucity of foreign exchange, had today accumulated 100 billion US dollars.
"The prices of essential commodities are under control. There is no shortage of anything in the market. Poverty is declining. It is our resolve to eradicate it faster," Vajpayee said.
Expressing happiness over completion of five years of National Democratic Alliance, the Prime Minister said that all previous experiments in running coalition governments at the Centre had failed. "We have succeeded," he remarked.
"Today there is a tremendous hunger for development among the people," he said, adding, they want a stable government which was both determined to improve their living conditions and also capable of doing so.
While there was growing trend towards wanting to work together, there was also a scenario of disarray, Vajpayee said.
The Centre, he said, had established cooperative relations with state governments of different political parties. "Political discrimination on account of ideological differences is unacceptable to us," Vajpayee added.
There was reduction of poverty and telephone and gas connections were now available on demand. The number of mobile phones had risen to 1.5 crore from a mere eight lakh and in the next one year, 1.5 crore new subscribers would be added, he said.
Vajpayee announced an ambitious Akshaya Patra scheme to provide mid-day meals to students upto standard V across the country, which would be later extended to pupils upto standard X.
He said that under the Prime Minister's Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, six hospitals on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi would be set up across the country over the next three years.
Pointing out that 60 crore of the total population of 100 crore were youth less than 30 years, Vajpayee said India was a young nation once again and that one should understand their "heartbeats and dreams and guide them".
The Prime Minister said that over three lakh people were currently working on the Rs 54,000 crore North-South and East-West Corridor project and their number would increase to six lakhs next year.
Terming as "a national resolve" the proposal to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the Prime Minister regretted that it had become difficult to pass the Women's Reservation Bill in its original form because of lack of consensus in Parliament.
"A new proposal has been brought forward that seeks to create 33 per cent double-member seats, in which one of them is reserved for women. This is a practical suggestion," he said, adding if there was any other suggestion on which a consensus was possible, it should be implemented.
"There should be no further delay in realising this goal, for which our sisters have been waiting for a long time," he said.
Asserting that the Government accorded top priority to national security, the Prime Minister said that the first act of his regime was to make India a nuclear weapon state for self defence in 1998.
"The world is changing. New challenges are emerging before us. We have to make India stronger both economically and socially," he said.
Deriding those who wished to divide the society on the basis of religion, caste or community, Vajpayee said, "India is a multi-religious nation," and added, "It is against both its nature and culture to practice discrimination or to do injustice to anybody on the grounds of faith. We should always care for the minority and be attentive towards their welfare," he said.
On the peace process in the Northeast, Vajpayee said the talks were yielding "positive results".
He said, "The hands that took up the gun now wish to participate in the development of their region. The Government is ready to welcome them."
Before going to the Red Fort where he unfurled the national tricolour, Vajpayee paid homage at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.
Among others who attended the Independence Day function at the Red Fort were Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, former prime ministers VP Singh, HD Deve Gowda, PV Narasimha Rao and IK Gujral, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, ministers, diplomats and top civil and military officials.