Narendra Modi has offered a new era of economic cooperation with Pakistan, if it stops terrorist attacks on India from its territory.
In an interview with The Times of India, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader and chief minister of Gujarat said both countries faced a common enemy in widespread poverty which they could tackle to together if a new trust could be established.
If he becomes prime minister when the results of the biggest election in history are announced next week, on May 16, he is ready to write a “new chapter” in relations between the nuclear neighbours if Islamabad can first demonstrate its commitment to peace by stopping terrorist attacks being launched from its soil.
His comments will be welcomed in Pakistan, where senior officials last month told The Telegraph they would like Mr Modi to become prime minister because they believe only an Indian government under a strong leader will be able to reopen talks and make progress towards normalising relations.
India and Pakistan have fought four wars since their independence from Britain and partition from one another in 1947. Relations had been improving until the 2008 Mumbai attacks when Lashkar e Taiba terrorists sailed to India’s commercial capital by sea from Karachi and massacred more than 160 people in a three-day rampage. Dr Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, accused elements within Pakistan’s security apparatus of supporting the attacks, which brought the enemies close to a fifth war.
Since then moves to reopen talks have made little progress, while an upsurge in attacks by Pakistani militants across the Line of Control which separates the two countries’ armed forces in Kashmir in the last 18 months have further damaged their prospects. Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, voiced his frustration at the lack of progress last autumn and officials said they had abandoned hope of talks until after a new government emerges from the Indian election.
Its officials expect Mr Modi to win the election and are planning to announce Most Favoured Nation trading status for India shortly after the new prime minister is elected, to hasten new negotiations.
In his interview with The Times of India on Tuesday, Mr Modi said the two countries have much to gain from cooperation if they can re-establish trust.
“Our country continues to face the onslaught of terrorism emanating out of the soil of Pakistan,” he said.
"The first step in building any meaningful relation with Pakistan has to be Pakistan taking effective and demonstrable action against the terror networks that operate from its soil. Once that happens there will be an increased trust between the two neighbours which will enable us to pursue a policy of dialogue to solve all the issues. We will be very frank and forthright in our dealing with Pakistan.
“We are very clear that both our countries have a common history and we share not only borders but also common culture and traditions. Besides, the problems that we face are also common; our biggest enemy being poverty and lack of development. India and Pakistan can together write a new chapter in the development of South Asia if the two countries were to concentrate on fighting poverty and unemployment.”
The long-running dispute over the future of Kashmir remains the greatest obstacle to peace between the two countries. In its manifesto, the BJP retained its commitment to ending Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status and to further integrate it into India, while Pakistan’s new Army chief last week described Kashmir as his country’s “jugular vein”.
Mr Modi’s party colleague and former BJP prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had visited Pakistan in early 1999 to sign the Lahore Declaration to prevent nuclear war but months later the deal was abandoned after Pakistani troops invaded Indian-held territory in Kargil. Mr Modi said he would not let that failure stand in the way of progress.
“We should not be constrained by what has happened in the past if the present throws up new possibilities in terms of solutions”, he said.
Re: Narendra Modi say India and Pakistan should be allies in war on poverty
he's going to be no different for pakistan than any other indian pm. but he is bad news for india - economically maybe he could bring a less corrupt administration, not very likely given how the culture of UP and bihar is nothing like gujarat and corruption is innate. but socially he is giving the hindutva monkeys a chance to start their bullying again. RSS/VHP/shiv sena etc who have been irrelevant for the past decade will begin their degenerate nonsense once more.
Re: Narendra Modi say India and Pakistan should be allies in war on poverty
Hey bas ke har ik unke isharey meiN nishaaN aur
*kartey heiN mohabbat to guzarta hey gumaaN aur*
Once the dust of polls settles, an electioneer becomes a prime minister and the dawn of responsibility sets in, reality and rhetoric suddenly become incompatible. Modi is a hardliner without a shred of doubt who will have to fortify BJP's political and religious outlook. But we have seen in Vajpayee's tenure that the traditional brinkmanship of the party had to give way to statesmanship. I hope Modi sees the need of turning the region into a good neighborhood for the greater good not only for his own people, but also for the entire region.
Re: Narendra Modi say India and Pakistan should be allies in war on poverty
i've been saying all along that BJP, when in power, behaves much better than Congress. they create all sorts of communal problems and use rhetoric against Pakistan when not in power to gain power by getting votes from fundamentalists. once in power, they feel the pressures of responsibility and, besides they need to win the next election and change their perception by the masses, behave in a acceptable manner.
we saw that last time when BJP was in power at the centre and Bajpayee proved to be better than other PM's towards Muslims in India and Pakistan. we saw far less communal riots in India during that time.
Re: Narendra Modi say India and Pakistan should be allies in war on poverty
Hey bas ke har ik unke isharey meiN nishaaN aur
*kartey heiN mohabbat to guzarta hey gumaaN aur*
Once the dust of polls settles, an electioneer becomes a prime minister and the dawn of responsibility sets in, reality and rhetoric suddenly become incompatible. Modi is a hardliner without a shred of doubt who will have to fortify BJP's political and religious outlook. But we have seen in Vajpayee's tenure that the traditional brinkmanship of the party had to give way to statesmanship. I hope Modi sees the need of turning the region into a good neighborhood for the greater good not only for his own people, but also for the entire region.
As another poster said in some other thread.. Modi is no Vajpayee. If Modi feels that he is loosing his credibility as a development oriented person, he would do anything to regain lost ground.. another round of riots. That is the worst case scenario, but practically possible seeing the kind of people he is surrounding himself with there is every likelihood that this might happen.
Re: Narendra Modi say India and Pakistan should be allies in war on poverty
As another poster said in some other thread.. Modi is no Vajpayee. If Modi feels that he is loosing his credibility as a development oriented person, he would do anything to regain lost ground.. another round of riots. That is the worst case scenario, but practically possible seeing the kind of people he is surrounding himself with there is every likelihood that this might happen.
I would second that. Modi is more like Advani and one can expect anything from him. Let's see if responsibilities of a PM brings any change in him or not.
Re: Narendra Modi say India and Pakistan should be allies in war on poverty
^ Fundamentalists are not good. Period. Unfortunately, some (not all) like fundamentalists of their variety. And mock "liberals" for their "freedom" touting ways.
It is ironic how religion based laws are supported by several on one side of the border. while going after fundamentalists on the other side.
True liberals on both sides of the border would be against both approaches. And would be for secular democracy in the true sense of the word. And not just when it suits one's narrow interests.