Manmohan for making LoC a Line of Peace

Expressing hope that the ongoing bilateral dialogue with Pakistan would one day make Jammu and Kashmir a symbol of India-Pakistan cooperation rather than of conflict, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today said that borders could be made irrelevant and the Line of Control (LoC) could become a Line of Peace.

Jammu, July 15 : Expressing hope that the ongoing bilateral dialogue with Pakistan would one day make Jammu and Kashmir a symbol of India-Pakistan cooperation rather than of conflict, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today said that borders could be made irrelevant and the Line of Control (LoC) could become a Line of Peace.

"There can be no question of divisions or partitions, but the Line of Control (LoC) can become a line of peace with a freer flow of ideas, goods, services and people," Singh said at the convocation ceremony of the Jammu University.

He also said that the land and water resources of the region could be jointly used by India and Pakistan that would help in benefiting people living on both sides of the LoC, and added that there exists vast opportunities for the two countries to work together for the mutual benefit of the people.

Singh, who was conferred with a Degree of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the university here, also expressed hope that groups who have so far opted out of the Roundtable process would recognise the "historic significance and the transparent sincerity" of the process.

"The aspirations of all sections of the people in each of the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh must be taken into account, and a common understanding reached on ways of meeting all these aspirations. I believe it is possible to pursue the development of a united State of Jammu and Kashmir even while respecting and addressing the legitimate aspirations of the people of each of the three regions," he added.

Commending the State for its spirit of entrepreneurship, Singh said that universities could play a vital role by setting up business-development incubators, which could facilitate new business ventures and entrepreneurship abilities among them.

The Prime Minister also proposed to set up Knowledge Centres at the District headquarters in the State, which would be equipped with the latest Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, especially in the field of software.

ANI