By IANS
Jammu : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said that the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan could become a “line of peace” and the land and water resources of divided Kashmir could be used by Kashmiri people in both countries – but only after terrorism and violence ends.
Speaking at Jammu University where he was presented an honorary doctorate of letters (D. Litt), Manmohan Singh said: “Jammu and Kashmir can one day become a symbol of India-Pakistan cooperation rather than of conflict… Borders cannot be changed, but they can be made irrelevant… The LoC can become a line of peace with a freer flow of ideas, goods, services and people.
“The natural resources of the state could then be used for the benefit of the people. They need no longer be points of contention or a source of conflict. We could for instance use the land and water resources of the region jointly for the benefit of all the people living on both sides of the LoC,” he said.
He added that there were “vast opportunities to jointly work together for the mutual benefit” of the people of both countries. “It goes without saying that this can only happen once terrorism and violence end permanently.”
Reiterating his personal commitment to bettering the lives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister said the round table conferences his government was holding with political parties there had emerged as an “effective platform for addressing all the concerns of the people in the region”.
Saying he felt “sorry” for the separatist groups like Hurriyat that had not joined the round table conferences, he hoped that they would also “recognise the historic significance and the transparent sincerity of the roundtable process” and join it in future.
The central government has convened three round table meetings to discuss a solution to the problems of Kashmir.
Manmohan Singh said the aspirations of all sections of people in each of the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh must be taken into account and a common understanding reached for a comprehensive solution to the region’s problems.
Pointing out that Jammu and Kashmir was the finest expression of the idea of unity in diversity, Manmohan Singh urged the people to “revive” those bonds and “the spirit of accommodation and mutual respect”.
He said he wanted the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be free from “all fears about their future”.
“It is only this sense of comprehensive security, within a framework of good governance that can really empower the people.”
He also urged the youth to transform the state into a “robust and vibrant knowledge economy”.
Governor and Jammu University chancellor S.K. Sinha conferred the doctorate degree on Manmohan Singh – the first from an Indian university after he became prime minister in May 2004.