Cricket has become a uniting factor- PM

Prime Minister's speech at Dinner hosted by him in honour of the Prime Minister of Pakistan

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed the august gathering at the Dinner hosted by him in honour of Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at Mohali. Following is the text of Prime Minister’s speech delivered on the occasion:

“Cricket has become a uniting factor and I think one thing which we can agree is that the sporting links between our two countries should be normalized as early as possible.

We live in the world of great uncertainty. What is happening in the West Asia - no body could imagine only a month or two ago. And all this makes it all the more necessary that India and Pakistan, placed as we are strategically in this region, should both together exchange views and evolve a cooperative strategy on how to deal with the highly uncertain regional and global environment we live in today. It goes without saying that if oil prices rise, if there is unrest in West Asia it would affect both of us, both our countries, enormously as I mentioned to you this afternoon. It is therefore very important that the two countries should increasingly look at all these developments from the point of view of our peoples' needs, their aspirations and how working together we can find cooperative strategies to deal with these massive challenges that we face.

What has happened in Japan is unthinkable - earthquake followed by tsunami and that followed by nuclear tragedy. But in this increasingly integrated world, peace and prosperity are both indivisible. And we are neighbors. Destiny requires that we should find cooperative solutions to all the problems that we face. When we met in Thimpu last year we both agreed that trust deficit is one area where we need to act, and act fast enough, to create a new climate in which cooperative modes of thinking will flourish and take us on the path of progress.

That you have honored me in accepting my invitation to join me in watching this beautiful match, I am very very grateful to you. India and Pakistan face enormous challenges but also enormous opportunities. Our biggest enemy is poverty, ignorance and disease. If we work together to find cooperative solutions, if we do not allow ancient animosities to affect the possibility of working together in the contemporary setting of our region and the world, I dare say we can write a new chapter in the history of development cooperation in this subcontinent of ours.

Prime Minster, we had a very elaborate and extensive exchange of views on all outstanding issues and the message that should go from Mohali is that the Prime Ministers of both countries are agreed that they are determined to find cooperative solutions to all the outstanding issues that we face. If there are difficulties we have the will to persevere, we have the will to overcome.

And in you we have a leader, a Prime Minister who inspires confidence. As I mentioned to you, you come from a family with the great tradition of Saint Miyan Mir who laid the foundation stone of the Golden Temple, the abode of peace. And God has given me this opportunity and I sincerely hope and pray that under your distinguished leadership democracy will flourish in Pakistan. And that we will find peaceful and productive ways of engaging our two countries in the diverse areas which have enormous bearing on the future of our two countries and the wellbeing of our two people.

With these words I once again extend to you a very warm and cordial welcome. Though your stay here is very brief but you would have sensed how the love for sports is some thing which unites the people of our two countries and we should build on that.

And if we have to bridge the trust deficit, it is essential that at all levels we should work together. Political personalities must visit each others countries more often. Official contacts must be increased; civil society contact must be increased. And I am very happy that the presiding officer of our Lok Sabha and the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha have sent invitations to their counterparts in Pakistan to come and pay a visit. I dare say in moulding the future climate of opinion, parliamentarians have a very crucial role to play. I sincerely hope that parliamentarians from India and Pakistan would set in motion a process of permanent reconciliation between our two countries so that we can realize the aspirations of our people for a life of dignity and self-respect. Once again, my grateful thanks to you sir for accepting my invitation.