“We are committed to the improvement of relations with Pakistan and are willing to grasp every opportunity for doing so,” said Vajpayee

Additional reporting by Asif Farooqi, IOL Pakistan Correspondent

ISLAMABAD, May 2 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – After almost two years of heightened military and diplomatic tensions, Pakistan and India announced Friday, May 2, they were restoring full diplomatic ties and heading towards resumption of talks to settle half a century old disputes “for the economic and social betterment of their peoples”.

In a major development, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajepayee announced the restoration of full diplomatic relations and air links with Pakistan as part of his “efforts to leave a legacy of peace with Pakistan”.

"How long will we keep fighting with Pakistan? We want to give Pakistan one more chance, not out of weakness but out of self-confidence," he told the Parliament.

“We are committed to the improvement of relations with Pakistan and are willing to grasp every opportunity for doing so,” Vajepayee added.

"This is a new beginning," he said. "We don't want to forget the past, but we don't want to remain slaves of the past."

Vajpayee said he was trying for "a third time" to make permanent peace with Pakistan.

"This round of talks will be decisive," he said. "And at least for my life, these will be the last."

The 78 years old premier has held talks with Pakistani leaders in March of 1999 and July of 2001.

In March he was able to strike a deal with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif known as Lahore Declaration but the talks resulting out of the declaration were de-tracked following eruption of hostilities between the two countries in the Kargil region of Kashmir.

Aagra summit with President Pervez Musharraf miserably failed as Vajepayee was forced to backtrack his earlier agreement on certain points with General Musharraf.

Wasting no time in reciprocating the Indian gesture, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurdheed Mehmood Kasuri said in a statement issued by the foreign office that Pakistan was also restoring its ambassador to New Delhi.

“We welcome Prime Minister Vajpayee's announcement in Indian Parliament today, including the one relating to the appointment of a high commissioner".

He did not, however, mention anything relating to the opening of airspace for Indian aircrafts.

Kasuri said the government was pleased with Vajpayee's statement and termed it appropriate that Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali would formally react to the Indian gesture in concrete terms.

He added that his country was “ready to start a dialogue process so as to hold meaningful discussions on all outstanding issues between the two countries including that of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Asked if Islamabad would name an ambassador to New Delhi, Kasuri said: “In due course we will,"

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid hailed Vajpayee's move as "a gesture of hope" and said things were "moving fast" towards dialogue.

"I cannot say right now when talks are going to start, but it should be soon as things are moving quite fast. You can expect them any moment," Rashid told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Restoring diplomatic ties "will facilitate the process of dialogue between the two countries," Rashid said.

Pakistan and India had reduced their diplomatic relations and cut off rail and air links in escalatory moves following December 2001 attack on Indian Parliament.

India blamed the attack on Pakistan-backed Kashmiri fighters while Pakistan repudiated the allegations.

The diplomatic offensive then turned into military tensions and the two countries were dragged out of a full scale war by the U.S. intervention in last June.

Hailed

“Pakistan is ready to start a dialogue process so as to hold meaningful discussions on all outstanding issues,” said Kasuri

Several world countries hailed the Indian and Pakistani steps to melt ice between them.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell congratulated the two countries for taking what he called very promising first steps to peace.

"I am very pleased with developments on the subcontinent over the last several weeks," Powell told reporters during a visit to Albania.

"I understand there have been some additional openings and we are on the verge of seeing representatives return to each others capitals."

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is expected to arrive in the region next week in an effort to spur a burst of peace talks.

Vajpayee made it clear there is no need for involvement of a third party, saying a lot of people are going around “wanting to mediate between us, but it is not clear what they want to mediate and why they want to mediate."

France also hailed India’s offer and Pakistan’s positive response.

"We welcome the announcement by the Indian prime minister of his government's decision to re-establish diplomatic relations with Pakistan at high commissioner level and renew civilian air links," foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told a news conference.

Neighboring India and Pakistan fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.