'Cricket Has Been A Uniting Factor'

Media Statements by Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan

Pakistan Prime Minister:

Main sabse pehle wazire azam saheb ka shukriya ada karta hoon ki unhone hamein dawat pe bulaya cricket match dekhne ke liye.

First of all, I thank Mr Prime Minister for inviting us to see the Cricket match.

Hamnein donon teamon ko dekha aur poore mulk ne donon mumalik ne, usko enjoy kiya.

We watched both the teams and the entire country, both the countries enjoyed the match

It’s a game. Aur main samajhta hoon, haar jeet jo hai wah ek apni jagah pe hai, magar yeh jeet jo hui hai yeh cricket ki hui hai.

It's a game. And I think that winning and losing is only one aspect of the game. It is cricket which has won.

Yeh jo jeet jo hui hai yeh donon mumalik ki hui hai, ki is basis pe aaj ham ikattha hue hain aur donon mumalik ikatthe hokar aur hamnein sidelines pe hamne guftoshunid ki hai, hamenin baat ki hai, hamnein tamam issues pe baat ki hai aur hamara determination hai ke hum tamam issues ko hum resolve karenge, aur sabse pehle sabse pehle jo composite dialogue resume hua hain main unka bhi wazire azam sahib ko mubarakbad deta hoon, ke yeh inka vaada tha ki thimphu mein, aur thimphu ki spirit hai jo kal interior secretaries ki jo meeting hui hai, wo badi kamyab hui hai, good message gaya hai,

This victory is of both the countries because it was on the basis of this that we got together and on the sidelines and we had a conversation, we talked, we talked on all the issues and our determination is to resolve all the issues. And first of all I want to congratulate Mr Prime Minister for the resumption of the composite dialogue because that was his promise at Thimpu. It was in the spirit of Thumpu that yesterday's meeting between the interior secretaries was very successful and a good message has gone.

Aur inshallah, agle mah commerce secretaries aayenge aur ISI tarike se aath rounds honge, phir foreign ministers ki mulaqat hogi, aur hum chahate hain ki donon mumalik apne jo issues hain unki ownership khud le lein. Ke hum nahin chahate ke hamare jo issues hon, hum khud resolve na kar sakein, hum is capacity hamari hai hamari ability hai ki hum apne issues ko khud resolve kar sakte hain. Aur inshallah jitney bhi outstanding issues hain, unpe hamari baat hui hai , aur Prime Minister sahab nein magnanimity show ki hai, ke wah tamam issues ko baith ke resolve karne ke liye taiyyar hain.

And, God willing, next month, the commerce secretaries will come and similarly in the same fashion eight rounds will take place. Then the foreign ministers will meet and we want that the two countries should themselves take ownership of their issues. We do not want that we should not be able to ourselves resolve -- we have this capacity, this ability to resolve our issues ourselves. And, God willing, we talked on all the outstanding issues and Mr Prime Minister showed magnanimity by saying that he is ready to sit down and resolve all the outstanding issues.

aur hum chahate hain positive messages donon mumalik ki taraf se jaane chahiyen, aur hamare jo common enemy hain wo poverty hai ,wo hunger hai, wo disease hai, wo unemployment wo development hai wo infrastructure hai, toh hamein uski taraf tawajjo karni chahiye aur inshallah hamara jo khalus hai wazire azam sahib ka, unhone pahale bhi yeh kaha tha aur aaj bhi kah rahe hain ki, unki aur hamari donon ki intention hai ke hum in issues ko resolve karein, aur yeh donon mumalik prosper karein, prosperity ho development ho.

And we want that positive messages should go from both the sides. Our common enemies are poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment, development, infrastructure. So we should pay attention to them. And inshallah, our aim, as Mr Prime Minister said — he said it before and he is saying it again today that we and they, both of us, have the same intention that we should resolve resolve these issues and both the countries should prosper, ensuring prosperity and development.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh: I am very grateful to Prime Minister Gilani for having accepted my invitation to join me in watching this beautiful game of cricket. Cricket has been a uniting factor, it has brought our two Prime Ministers together and I dare say that’s a very good beginning. Whatever be the differences between our two countries we have to find pathways to resolve them. And Gilani sahib and I have had extensive discussions on all outstanding issues and we have reaffirmed our resolve that there are difficulties on the way but we will make every honest effort to overcome those difficulties. And the message from Mohali is that the people of India and Pakistan want to live in peace and amity and that the two prime ministers have committed their government to work in that direction.

Pakistan Prime Minister: And I have invited Dr Manmohan Singh and Madam Sonia Gandhi to visit Pakistan.

Chandigarh
March 30, 2011