Wednesday, November 9 2005 16:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chandigarh: In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Nov 9, 2005) said no country can pretend that cross border terrorism will not affect it internally and that our terrorist could be someone's 'freedom fighter'.

"No Government can any longer pretend that what happens across the border is not going to hurt it internally. No country can any longer pretend that someone's terrorist could be someone else's freedom fighter," Singh said delivering the P N Haksar memorial lecture here without naming any particular country.

The Prime Minister said, "The destiny of South Asia was inter-linked be it poverty, disease, natural disasters or the issue of terrorism. Thus we must learn to work together to deal with these challenges."

Stressing that it was not just the past but the future too that binds 'us', The Prime Minister expressed the hope that member nations in SAARC would approach the forthcoming Summit with this perspective.

"I hope we can all approach the SAARC Summit with this perspective in mind, a perspective of inter-dependency that strengthens our collective security and secures our collective prosperity," he said in the run up to the meeting being held in Dhaka on November 12 and 13.

The two recent natural disasters tsunami of last year and last month's earthquake have proved "It was not just our past that binds us together, but our future too", the Prime Minister said.

Referring to taking forward the process of development and regional cooperation within South Asia, he said, "We have all come to live with the reality of the new political, economic and social realities of South Asia."

"I do sincerely hope that this region shows the wisdom and foresight required for all of us to work together," he said acknowledging that India was expected to take the lead in many areas.

"Positioned as we are, geographically and economically, India has a pivotal role in the region. This position brings with it both privileges and responsibilities. I do believe that we must work with our neighbors to ensure that we all benefit from the growth process in the region, " he said.

Advising the smaller South Asian neighbors to endeavor to "Ensure that we are also friends", he asked them to see India as a land of opportunity.

"Be it in education, in health care, in tourism, in trade and investment opportunities, in all these matters India has the capacity and the tradition to be welcoming of its neighbors. Provided, of course, that those who visit us come as our friends and our well-wishers and bear no ill-will towards our people and our Nation," he pointed.

Singh said SAARC region could also evolve a forum for annual meetings of economic or industry ministers to facilitate discussion on exploitation of complementarities in their economies for mutual advantage.

He said SAARC should also take steps to improve physical connectivity by road, railway, inland waterways and shipping and air links to exploit the advantages of geographical proximity.

"The (SAARC nations) could evolve a common SAARC Transport Policy to facilitate the movement of goods across the region," the Prime Minister said.

Singh said energy cooperation presents immense potential for its allies in South Asia region.

"To promote regional cooperation in the area of energy, a South Asian Energy Dialogue comprising experts, academics, environmentalists, bureaucrats and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) could examine the potential for energy cooperation and suggest measures to exploit this vast potential," he added.

The issues concerning SAARC raised by him were "Just some of the ideas that are worth pursuing", the Prime Minister said adding there were many more, especially in the sphere of education, health care, tourism and disaster management.

Singh said he hoped that the institutes like the Center for Research in Rural and Industrial Research (CRRID), which organized the function, must do the required research to work out the costs and benefits of such projects and programmes so that the policy makers can take more informed decisions.

"The time has come for a new vision, a new commitment and a new sense of purpose in South Asia and I hope we have the political will and wisdom to seize the moment," he added.