Senate Chairman Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, who is on a visit to India, called on Indian Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh on Friday who welcomed the Senate chairman and his delegation and stated that India wanted to see a strong, stable and prosperous Pakistan and was happy to see democracy flourish in the country.
The Indian PM said closer ties between the parliaments of both countries was necessary for strengthening bilateral relations and this visit would make a significant contribution in this regard. He said India and Pakistan were neighbors with a shared civilization, history and culture. Bokhari said the democratic government in Pakistan attached significance to creating a stable and prosperous neighborhood and a national consensus existed on improving relations with India.
Bokhari further said the destinies of the two countries were entwined and the two countries had to work together for mutual progress, prosperity and peace of the entire region. He said the parliaments of the two countries had the responsibility to work towards the improvement of bilateral relations.
1993 Mumbai serial blasts result of Pakistan’s envy: Shinde
In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday said the 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai were the result of a neighbour’s envy of India’s economic progress and vowed to bring back all terrorists, including Dawood Ibrahim, to face trial here. He also said “the neighbour is still trying to weaken the country’s economy by pumping fake Indian currency notes”. “We launched the economic reforms in 1991 and subsequently India had achieved rapid economic progress. But a neighbour became envious of our development. Soon, there were 13 blasts in Mumbai (in 1993),” he said. Shinde said all fugitive terrorists, including the 1993 Mumbai blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim, would be brought back to India and punished for their crime. “Not only Dawood but other terrorists sitting in safe havens will be brought back to India to face trial. We are working with some international organisations,” he said. Referring to circulation of fake Indian currency notes, the home minister said nefarious designs were being carried out by a neighbouring country to destroy India’s economy.