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| Vohra confident of Indo-Pak bonhomie | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Nov 4: Governor, N N Vohra, today expressed optimism about progressively enhancing cooperation and collaboration in Indo-Pak relations, saying that the people to people contacts and the Cross-LoC-trade has brought the people of the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir closer.
"A stable Pakistan holds the key to peace on the Line of Control", the Governor said while interacting with the officers of the National Defence College, here this evening, and opined that the cessation of terrorism and a sustained peaceful environment could pave the way for enhanced cooperation in the arena of education, health, tourism, power generation and other sectors.
The Governor observed that despite disturbances and four wars during the past six decades, Jammu and Kashmir has made enviable progress on all the fronts. There has been a rapid growth in the social sectors like health and education, the hydel potential of the State is being harnessed for the benefit of the people and the developmental scenario is showing signs of forward movement. Referring to the expansion of higher education, he observed that there were no less than with seven universities in the State which were engaged in providing higher and professional learning to a large number of youngsters. "Vision of Kashmir is inspiring", he said and added that the forward-looking people of the Valley have been yearning for peace and normalcy, as the disruption in their normal lives and economic activity have brought misery and disruption to the ethos of Kashmir.
Wishing Pakistan peace and prosperity, Vohra said that good neighbourly relations are in the best interests of people of the sub-continent. This realization, he observed, is dawning on the people across the border and 'this is something which holds promise of tranquility in the region'. He maintained that the continuation of a proxy war and encouragement to terrorism just cannot go side by side with establishing friendly and productive relations.
Vohra also referred to the recent visit of a PoK trade delegation to Kashmir and said that they were happy to meet their counterparts and see, at first hand, the high levels of development and the quality of life in Jammu and Kashmir. He described the Cross-Loc-trade as an important Confidence Building Measure and said that this process has to be given momentum for further enhancing relations between India and Pakistan.
The Governor answered a series of questions relating to internal security, development, cross-border terrorism, overall situation in the State, particularly in the context of the forthcoming elections.
On the prospect of the ensuing Assembly Elections, the Governor said that the stage is all set for having a democratic government in place. He indicated that there is no alternative to the people's government and expressed the hope that the people will take part in the democratic exercise in a big way. He said that efforts have been made to ensure that the contestants and the political parties can move freely for campaigning in a secured atmosphere. For ensuring free and fair elections, he said, the Election Commission of India has deployed 'Observers across the length and breadth of the State.
Led by Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin, the Commandant of the NDC, the delegation comprised 15 Course Members, including the senior ranking Army officers from Nigeria, Nepal, US, Japan and Senegal, thee faculty members, Major General P S Sidhu, Cdr G S Mehta and Cdr Amrit Nagpal, participated in the interaction. The Group is currently on a visit to the Kashmir Valley. |
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