Jammu, Feb 16: Saying that students, scholars and intellectuals have capacity to visualize things to come, shape them in real perspective and cultivate creative aspirations in people, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that young intellectuals have a tremendous impact on people to create positive approach for cooperation.
Addressing valedictory function of 5-day South Asian Universities Youth Festival SAUFEST Harmony-2006 here today, the Chief Minister described the event as truly historic with appropriate theme of harmony.
He said South Asian region, which has nearly one-fifth of world’s population, manifests vast racial, cultural and social diversity sharing a unique relationship with each other for common history and heritage. He said that the role of participants in the festival besides making friends is to achieve regional coherence between South Asian countries.
The Chief Minister said, “at present, various regional cooperation have become a key link. There is a general feeling that while regional cooperation has moved forward elsewhere, South Asia has lagged behind. We need to take a hard look and see whether we want to stand together and work towards each others’ benefit or be lone societies fending for ourselves individually, struggling to meet the challenges of modern society.”
The Chief Minister said if South Asia has to become a dynamic component of the larger process of regional cooperation and globalization that is taking place in the world, it must first bring about economic integration amongst member countries and at the same time contentious issues must not be allowed to vitiate the process of regional cooperation.
The Chief Minister quoting Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s vision for South Asia that he had outlined while addressing SAARC summit in Dhaka, Azad said that Prime Minister had posed the question weather SAARC was prepared to be an integral part of emerging Asian resurgence or remain marginalized at the periphery.
The Chief Minister in the context of Prime Minister’s vision said, “let me also share with you some thoughts on India-Pakistan relations. We have a vision of India-Pakistan relationship, which is embedded in the broader context of a peaceful, dynamic and economically integrated South Asia. We remain committed to the goal of establishment of peaceful, friendly and cooperative relations with Pakistan”.
He said in pursuance of this goal, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has taken a number of policy initiatives to increase people to people contact between the two countries. The policy has paid rich dividends, he added.
“We also expect that synergies between these initiatives and other regional and multilateral initiatives that the government is undertaking in the years ahead, reconnect the sub-continent to the larger Asian neighbourhood,” Azad said.
He said, “we are also looking at very practical initiatives to help this process of reconnection. For example, we are looking at improving transport and communication infrastructure.” (INF)

Lastupdate on : Thu, 16 Feb 2006 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 16 Feb 2006 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:00:00 IST