ON BOARD PM’s SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Oct 24:
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today said he was disappointed with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and asked him “even at this late hour” to recognise that what was happening on the LoC and International Border is not good for the two nations.
“Let me say I am disappointed because in the New York meeting (between them last month) there was a general agreement on both the sides that peace and tranquillity should be maintained on the border, LoC as well as IB and it has not happened. It has come to me as a big disappointment,” Singh told reporters accompanying him way back from his two-nation tour to Russia and China.
“We had agreed at that time that if the ceasefire of 2003 has held ground for 10 years, then it could be made to hold later on also. That it has not happened is something which is really a disappointment,” he said when asked whether he was disappointed with Sharif.
He said even at this late hour he sincerely hoped that Sharif would recognise that this development “is not good for either of the two countries”.
Over the New York meeting on the margins of the UNGA, Singh had come under attack from BJP for engaging in “futile talks” with Pakistan.
Holding that he was not above the law Singh offered to face the CBI or “for that matter anybody” in the probe into allocation of coal block to Hindalco as he has nothing to hide.
Singh, who has been under opposition attack after the filing of an FIR by the CBI against industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Coal Secretary P C Parakh in a coal block allocation case, broke his personal silence for the first time since the controversy broke out 10 days ago.
“I am not above the law of the land. If there is anything the CBI or, for that matter anybody, wants to ask me, I have nothing to hide,” he said.
He was asked about the clarification issued by the PMO last week that the decision to allocate a coal block to Birla-headed Hindalco in Odisha was appropriate and there was nothing wrong. The opposition attacked Singh, saying he was charge of the Coal Ministry at that time and he should subject himself to questioning by CBI.
Noted industrialists and trade bodies had attacked the CBI action, saying caution should be exercised while dealing with reputed individuals, industrialists and honest bureaucrats.
Initially, Singh appeared to be reticent in answering a question on whether CBI should be given so much autonomy that an inspector of the agency would be allowed to question the Prime Minister.
“Well, let me say, this matter is before the courts and I would not like to comment on it,” he replied.
He was asked for his comments about the Supreme Court monitoring the probe in various scams affecting the decision-making process and adding to the government’s image of being struck by “policy paralysis”.
“I would not like to go into what is happening in the Supreme Court. It is the highest court of the country and I would not like to comment about the court as to what it does or does not,” he responded.
To a question whether CBI cases and scams were casting a shadow on his legacy as Prime Miniser, Singh shot back, “That is for history to judge. I am doing my duty and will continue to do my duty. What impact my 10 years of Prime Ministership will have, it is for historians to judge.”
Singh said Government would take all “precautions” to ensure that any threat to Rahul Gandhi does not materialise but voiced concern over the “politics of hatred sweeping the country”.
“Well, I and all sane persons should be worried about the politics of hatred sweeping the country. As regards to the threat to the life of Rahul Gandhi, Government will take all possible precautions that this threat does not materialise,” he said.
He was asked about Gandhi’s statement yesterday that he could be eliminated like his grand mother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi.
In Beijing, with Pakistan in mind, Singh warned that terrorism and radicalism emanating from “our neighbourhood” had directly affected both India and China and could lead to instability across Asia.
Singh made the remark without naming any country while addressing future leaders at the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Party School here.
He was obviously referring to Pakistan-based terror groups that are active in India and China, especially in the Muslim- dominated Xinjiang province bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“India and China have also benefited from a largely stable global order and peaceful periphery. But we cannot take a stable political and security environment in our region and beyond for granted,” he said.
“If we look carefully, many of our challenges are common. Terrorism, extremism and radicalism emanating from our neighbourhood affect both of us directly and can create instability across Asia,” Singh said, a day after he held wide ranging talks with the new Chinese leadership, including threats posed by Pakistan-based terror groups.
“Similarly, maritime security in the Pacific and Indian Oceans is vital for our economies just as peace and stability in West Asia and Gulf are essential for our energy security.”
Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said the Prime Minister had taken up the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil at the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.
Restive Xinjiang province has been frequently hit by heavy violence between native Uygurs, Muslims of Turkic-origin and Han Chinese settlers in the past few years.
China has blamed the East Turkmanitan Islamic Movement and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, believed to be affiliated to Al Qaeda, for violence in the troubled province.
A statement by the municipal government in China’s westernmost city Kashgar had said militants trained by ETIM in Pakistan were responsible for a recent flare-up in violence.
Singh cautioned that border tensions and differences over trans- border rivers could become impediments to better ties between India and China, which should strive for a future “defined by cooperation and not by confrontation”.
The two countries should show sensitivity to each other’s interests and sovereignty and move quickly to resolve their boundary issue, he said.
A day after the two countries signed a pact to prevent incursions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Singh said there were concerns on both sides, “whether it is incidents in the border region, trans-border rivers or trade imbalances”.
“Our recent experiences have shown that these issues can become impediments to the full exploitation of the opportunities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation between India and China…,” he said.
The two countries, Singh said, are “not destined to be rivals” and “should show determination to become partners”.
“More than ever before, the world needs both countries to prosper together…Our future should be defined by cooperation and not by confrontation. It will not be easy, but we must spare no effort,” he said.
“What is at stake is the future of India and China; indeed, what may be at stake is the future of our region and our world.”
Singh, one of the few visiting leaders accorded the honour of addressing Communist party cadres at the elite institution, was received with a standing ovation and his speech on “India, China – A New Era” was given a huge round of applause by the audience.
He said old theories of alliances and containment are no longer relevant in today’s world. “India and China cannot be contained and our recent history is testimony to this. Nor should we seek to contain others,” he said.
The Border Defence Cooperation Agreement signed yesterday after talks between Singh and Premier Li Keqiang is aimed at tackling incidents like the incursion by Chinese troops on the LAC in April that triggered a military stand-off.
Peace in the India-China border region has been the cornerstone of the bilateral relationship. “It is essential for mutual confidence and for the expansion of our relations. We should do nothing to disturb that,” he said.
“Indeed we can achieve it by adhering to our agreements and utilising our bilateral mechanisms effectively. At the same time, we should move quickly to resolve our boundary issue.”
India, Singh said, has welcomed President Xi Jinping’s concept of a new type of great power relations. “This is a contemporary development of the Panchsheel or Five Principles of co-existence, elaborated by Prime Minister (Jawaharlal) Nehru and Premier Zhou Enlai in the 1950s.”
He outlined seven principles of engagement that can facilitate closer cooperation, including an “unwavering commitment to the principles of ‘Panchsheel’” and conducting the relationship in a spirit of “mutual respect, sensitivity to each other’s interests and sovereignty, and mutual and equal security”.
Maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas, increasing consultations on complex issues like trans-border rivers and trade imbalance, a high level of strategic consultations and increased people-to-people contacts were among the principles suggested by him.
Singh also spelt out a eight-point roadmap of areas offering scope for cooperation and invited Chinese participation in Indian plans to invest USD 1 trillion in infrastructure over the next five years.
India and China have been directly affected by terrorism, and extremism emanating from “our neighbourhood” and maritime security in the Pacific and Indian Oceans is vital for their economies, he said. Both countries should work together to tackle these challenges, he added.
The two sides should pay greater attention to expanding and modernising their infrastructure, and increasing agricultural productivity to reduce rural-urban disparities.
“We want to draw upon China’s strength in the manufacturing sector, which is vital for providing mass employment. India, for its part, has strength in services, innovation and certain manufacturing sectors, which can benefit China,” he said.
As large consumers of energy, the two countries should intensify cooperation in energy security, including joint development of renewable resources and working together with third countries, he said.
Growing populations, improving consumption levels and price volatility make food security a priority for both sides, which should also work together to make the global economic environment more conducive to their development efforts, Singh said. (PTI)
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