Normalcy in Afghanistan will revive of old links: Vajpayee

AMRITSAR, Nov 18 (UNI): Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today hoped for speedy return of normalcy in war-torn Afghanistan to begin the process of rebuilding and refugees.

The task after return of peace in Afghanistan would be to rehabilitate those who had fled that nation out of fear from the radical regime, Mr Vajpayee told a rally on the concluding day of the week-long bicentenary celebrations of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singhs coronation here.

Many such refugees were of Indian origin who settled there since the times of Guru Nanak Dev and later during Maharaja Ranjit Singhs reign, Vajpayee said.

Stating that the war Afghanistan would end in Kandahar, Vajpayee said that he was looking forward to the rebuilding of that nation "which once had close trade and cultural links with India".

Giving an example of the Indo-Afghan links, the prime minister pointed to Rabindra Nath Tagores book Kabulliwalah about human relations and values.

Sikhs and those belonging to other religions have fled Afghanistan when the Taliban took over and "the prosperous country" was reduced to shambles, Vajpayee said.

"People were prosecuted in the name of jihad and their rights to livelihood and worship were snatched," he added.

Vajpayee said that nobody could take away a persons right to livelihood.

The majority were against the Taliban regime as could be gauged from the celebrations in the Afghan capital after the defeat of the radical organisation.

The prime minister said that the world was now united against terrorism which had no place in civilised society.

Turning to Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister said that like the people of Punjab, natives of Kashmir valley too would rise as one to stamp out terrorism.

He congratulated the Punjabis and the officials of this border state for having jointly crushed the menace of terrorism.

The prime minister, who also laid the foundation stone of a Rs ten crore panorama on Maharaja Ranjit Singh here, paid rich tributes to the Shere-e-Punjab who, he said was a truly secular ruler.

The Maharaja never got himself crowned king nor did he sit on a throne but was a man of the masses, he added.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh united small kingdoms to create a strong and secular domain that no one dared to invade, the prime minister pointed out.

The Maharaja was the only ruler in history to have ruled Kabul and that too with a sword, he added.

The bicentenary celebrations, despite the impressive gathering, were dampened when news reached the public rally venue that chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was indisposed and would not be present.

A medical bulletin issued by Kakkar hospital to newspersons at the rally site, said the chief minister suffered fracture at the upper end of his left femur after a fall this morning.

Mr Badal convalescing at the Kakkar Hospital, had been advised rest, the statement said.

On the occasion, the prime minister announced four-laning of Amritsar-Jalandhar highway among several other measures.

This portion of the highway will be named Maharaja Ranjit Singh National Highway and would be fourlaned upto Wagah, he added while pointing out that the union finance ministry would make available a fund of Rs 450 crore for this project.

The chief ministers of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh Om Prakash Chautala, Farooq Abdullah, Prem Kumar Dhumal and union ministers Jagmohan, Ananth Kumar and S S Dhindsa also addressed the rally.