Amritsar's vote for peace
People in Punjab's Amritsar and Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seats are watching the peace process with Pakistan with keen interest.
People in Punjab's Amritsar and Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seats are watching the peace process with Pakistan with keen interest.
The peace initiative is also likely to be a major poll issue and not without reason. People living in villages along the Indo-Pak border in Gurdaspur have suffered for long due to continuous shelling from across the border. And Amritsar, which was once a major transit point for trading with Pakistan, wants the business back.
People in both regions are optimistic that recent diplomatic initiatives with Pakistan will contribute to the overall development and economic growth here. No wonder then that BJP candidate and minister of state for external affairs Vinod Khanna makes it a point to stress on Vajpayee's efforts to start a dialogue with Pak at every election meeting in border villages.
In Amritsar too, the issue of Indo-Pak relations is fast gaining momentum. The BJP has assured the people that starting exports to Pakistan through Amritsar once again would get top priority.