India needs cordial ties with Pak for economic prosperity: Sidhu

Chandigarh, Mar 9 (UNI) Opposition Lok Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu today said the country needed to improve its relations with Pakistan so that the Wagah joint checkpost could be opened for liberal trade to bring prosperity in the region.

''The responsibility factor in improving relations with the neighbours has become bitter in the present (UPA) regime, which was sweet during the Vajpayee government,'' Mr Sidhu said in response to a question about the prospects of Indo-Pak ties in the wake of the country's nuclear deal with the United States.

''Pakistan has been belittled with the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal,'' he said at a press conference here.

He, however, said he would not like to directly comment on the nuclear agreement with the US as the BJP spokesman or other senior party leaders could only speak on this sensitive issue.

The MP from Amritsar said a call attention motion, moved by him regarding improvement of infrastructure at Attari-Wagah border, has been accepted for the discussion in Lok Sabha. Moreover, a core committee of MPs, as requested by him, has been formed to make recommendations for improving the infrastructure at the Wagah border, he added.

Mr Sidhu reiterated that the Indo-Pak Wagah border had to be opened as Amritsar was the gateway to the entire central Asia.

He said at least 600 trucks crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border every day, while hardly six trucks were cleared by the authorities at the Wagah Indo-Pak joint check post.

''If the Wagah border is opened, Punjab will prosper in six months time,'' he said.

Criticising the Amarinder Singh government in Punjab, Mr Sidhu alleged that the Chief Minister and his followers were promoting and sheltering land and liquor mafia in the state.

''The rates of plots are rising so high that it is not possible for the common and middle class people to think of owning a house in cities, forget about the poor,'' Mr Sidhu said.

He specifically alleged the Amritsar Improvement Trust was favouring colonisers by grabbing money worth crores of rupees. ''The Amritsar colonising controversy is a big multi-crore scam,'' he said.

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