PM offers peace treaty to Pakistan

Amritsar, Mar 24 (UNI) Rejecting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's observation that the normalisation process with India could not move forward without the resolution of the Kashmir issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today offered a Treaty of Peace, Security and Friendship to the neighbouring country as a logical culmination of the peace dialogue.

Declaring that India was sincerely committed to the prosperity, unity, development and well-being of Pakistan, Dr Singh also made it clear that India was not afraid of discussing Jammu and Kashmir or any other outstanding issue with Pakistan for finding pragmatic and practical solutions.

The Prime Minister was speaking at a function here before flagging off a bus service from Amritsar to the historic town of Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, establishing the fourth road link between India and Pakistan.

He firmly conveyed to the Pakistani leadership that a step-by- step approach had to be adopted by the two countries given the inherent difficulties in finding practical solutions to outstanding issues between them.

Obviously in the context of X X X here pick up fourth para of DR 27 EXTERNAL-PM PAKISTAN.

UNI/AT/RP PC1706