109 HRES 225 IH: Recognizing the historic steps India and U.S. House of Representatives 2005-04-21 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 225 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 21, 2005 Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas (for herself, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Lantos, Ms. Berkley, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. Barton of Texas, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Hastings of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations RESOLUTION Recognizing the historic steps India and Pakistan have taken toward achieving bilateral peace.

Whereas the Republic of India achieved its independence from the British Empire on August 15, 1947, is home to some of the most ancient civilizations, and has given birth to four major world religions; Whereas on August 14, 1947, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was created and is home to many of the significant sites of the 4,500-year-old Indus Valley Civilization; Whereas in April 2003 former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee offered the hand of friendship to Pakistan in a landmark address in Indian-administered Kashmir; Whereas in February 2004 India and Pakistan began their first formal talks in nearly three years, the talks held in Islamabad, Pakistan, paved the way for full peace talks; Whereas in June 2004 India and Pakistan jointly renewed a moratorium on nuclear weapons tests and set up a hotline to alert each other to potential nuclear risks; Whereas in September 2004 Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf met for talks in New York on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly and for the first time in the history of the Kashmir dispute, the two leaders discussed various options to solve the dispute; Whereas in April 2005 India and Pakistan launched a landmark bus service across the ceasefire line dividing Kashmir, the peace bus allowing families divided by the border to be reunited for the first time in nearly 60 years; Whereas on April 18, 2005, India and Pakistan concluded three days of historic talks in India with a series of agreements to boost trade and cross-border travel; and Whereas at the conclusion of the most recent talks Prime Minister Singh and President Musharraf issued a joint statement in which they agreed to continue talks on Kashmir in a sincere and purposeful and forward-looking manner for a final settlement and both leaders declared that the “peace process was now irreversible”: Now, therefore, be it

1.

Short title

This resolution may be cited as the India-Pakistan Peace Resolution.

2.

Recognizing india and pakistan

The House of Representatives— (1)congratulates India and Pakistan on taking monumental steps toward achieving a comprehensive peace agreement; (2)applauds Prime Minister Singh and President Musharraf for their leadership in bringing their two nations together; and (3)calls upon both India and Pakistan to continue down this path of peace so that their children may realize a harmonious future.