Prime Minister proposes five point peace agenda

Srinagar, May 24: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today proposed a five-point peace agenda to bring people from both sides of the Line of Control(LoC) closer to each other and strengthen political institutions to harmonise relations among different regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

Inaugurating the Second Round Table Conference here, he stressed the need to build political institutions and arrangements, which can strengthen the relationship between the state and the Centre.

He also emphasised the need to bring different regions of the state closer to each other while recognising their distinct identities. Similarly, the focus should be the economic future of the state.

The Two-Day roundtable, which was attended by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, was boycotted by seperatist and secessionist parties including moderate Hurriyat Conference Chief Mirwaiz Omer Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation front Chief Yasin Malik. However, all mainstream political parties, barring the Bharatiya Janata Party, attended it.

Dr Singh said that steps are needed to resore public self confidence. Each region of Jammu and Kashmir has a distinct identity."How can these be strengthened so that they can blossom and how can we harmonise relations between them," he said.

The Prime Minister said that there are two dimensions to the problem of Jammu and Kashmir."One in the relationship between Delhi and Srinagar and the other is the relationship between Delhi and Islamabad.These two dimensions are of course different,but each affects the other. In your exchange of views here, I want you to keep this in mind".

He said the welfare of the state is the top priority."It is our endeavour to work together to build a prosperous future for the state", he further stated.

UNI

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