February 26, 1999

The Hon'ble Prime Minister visited Pakistan on the inaugural run of the Delhi-Lahore-Delhi bus service on February 20-21, 1999. This historic visit was the most significant engagement between India and Pakistan in over a quarter of a century. It was also the first visit undertaken by the Prime Minister of India to Pakistan in a decade.

Prime Minister Shri A.B. Vajpayee, conveyed to the people of Pakistan India's abiding desire for peace and amity with them. A group of eminent Indians from all walks of life, who accompanied the Prime Minister to Pakistan, conveyed by their very presence in Lahore that in the pursuit of its policy of promoting peace and friendship with Pakistan, the Government of India was acting in accord with the wishes of its people. This visit also provided the Prime Minister with an opportunity to emphasise that India and Pakistan must, together work to build a comprehensive structure of cooperation, resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful and direct bilateral discussions and negotiations, and, that the path of violence was futile and senseless. Let me emphasise the Government's resolve to uphold the Constitution. The unity and territorial integrity of India will never be compromised. The perpetrators of violence must understand this simple truth.

The Prime Minister's bus journey captured the imagination of the people of India, of Pakistan, indeed, of the world. I wish to state here that seldom has a leader embarked on a journey with such support from his people and such goodwill for his success. His arrival at Wagah, with the Indian delegation, to be warmly received by the Pakistan Prime Minister was a defining moment in India-Pakistan relations.

During his stay in Pakistan, Prime Minister held discussions with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was accorded a civic reception by the people of Lahore; visited Gurudwara Dera Sahib, the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh; the Mausoleum of Allama Iqbal and Minar-e-Pakistan. From the Minar-e-Pakistan he assured the Pakistani people that a secure, stable and prosperous Pakistan was in India's interest.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hosted a banquet for our Prime Minister at the historic Lahore Fort. The Prime Minister's discussions with the Pakistani Prime Minister were wide-ranging; covering the entire range of bilateral relations, regional cooperation within SAARC and issues of international concern. Prime Minister Vajpayee emphasised that the peoples of the two countries desire lasting peace and an environment where their security, progress and prosperity can be assured, For this purpose, he conveyed that it was essential that the forces of violence and terrorism were combated, and the hands of the advocates of harmony, balance and realism stregnthened for the development of good neighbourly relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Vajpayee and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif signed the Lahore
Declaration. This declaration is a landmark for the peace and security of the two nations. The two Prime Ministers have in the Lahore Declaration agreed that the two countries will identify efforts to resolve all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through the composite dialogue process; refrain from intervention and interference in each other's internal affairs; combat the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; protect human rights; take immediate steps to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorised use of nucleasr weapons and to discuss security concepts and doctrines with a view to elaborating measures for confidence-building in the nuclear and conventional fields aimed at prevention of conflict. The two Prime Ministers also reaffirmed in the Lahore Declaration their commitment to the objectives of SAARC and to work towards the realisation of the SAARC vision for the year 2000 and beyond with a view to promoting the welfare of the peoples of their countries.

Pursuant to directives issued by the two Prime Ministers to identify measures aimed at promoting an environment of peace and security between the two countries, the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 21 February, 1999. Under this Memorandum, the two countries have agreed to abide by their respective unilateral moratorium on conducting further nuclear test explosions unless either side, in exercise of its national sovereignty, decides that extraordinary events have jeopardized its supreme national interest. The Foreign Secretaries agreed that the two countries would remain firmly committed to undertaking measures to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons under their respective controls; India and Pakistan will provide each other with advance notification in respect of ballistic missile flight tests and conclude a bilateral agreement in this regard. Similarly the two countries will engage in discussions to conclude the argument on the prevention of incidents at sea, in order to ensure safety of navigation by naval vesels, and by aircraft belonging to the two sides. The two countries would also periodically review the implementation of existing CBMs as well as the existing communication links at operational levels like the hotline between the Directors General of Military Operations, with a view to making these links fail-safe and secure. Further, the two countries would hold bilateral discussions on security, disarmament and non-proliferation issues, within the context of negotiations on these issues in multilateral fora. In order to reach bilateral agreements, experts of the two countries would meet on mutually agreed dates before mid-1999.

The Prime Ministers also explored avenues and areas for meaningful cooperation. They agreed on the need to enhance people-to-people cotract, address humanitarian issues and to cooperate in technological as well as in economic matters. They agreed that the two sides should undertake consultations on WTO issues with a view to coordinating respective positions, determine areas of cooperation in information technology, particularly for tackling problems of Y2K and also to hold discussions on the liberalisation of visa and travel regime. Prime Minister Vajpayee proposed the re-opening of the check post on the Rajasthan-Sindh border.

Given the urgent need to address humanitarian issues, the Prime Ministers agreed to appoint a two-member committee at the ministerial level to examine matters relating to civilian detainees and missing Prisoners of War. An official level delegation will hold prior consultations and will meet very soon in this regard.

In order to undertake an overall review of the bilateral relationship, the Prime Ministers directed me and my Pakistan counterpart to meet periodically to discuss all issues of mutual concern, including nuclear issues. We would like this meeting to be held soon.

Government's approaches to Pakistan are rooted in our national consensus. They derive their strength from our confidence as a mature nation dedicated to peace, democracy and freedom. To those that preach, practice and foment violence I would reiterate our Prime Minister's message: "Understand the simple truth of the path of peace and amity."

It is our earnest hope to build on the opportunities that are now available on account of the Prime Minister's historic initiative and his commitment to put behind past contentions and think of the welfare of our children and their children. We trust Pakistan will walk with us down this path.