Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's remarks on the occasion of Award of Indira Gandhi Prize 2005

"We are all truly proud and delighted to have the opportunity today to pay special tribute to our beloved leader, Shrimati Indira Gandhi, in a most appropriate way. Indiraji would have felt truly proud that an award in her name is being presented today to a great son of South Asia, a nation builder, and a true leader of his people, President Hamid Karzai.

Indiraji had a deep and abiding love for the people of Afghanistan, cemented during the days of our freedom struggle. The people of India and Afghanistan have had civilisational links that were strengthened by the close rapport between our leaders throughout the 20th century.

Indiraji had a special place in the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan for a variety of reasons. But none is more important than the fact that the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital has for years provided health care to Kabul and to Afganistan's children. I had the special privilege of visiting Kabul last year, nearly three decades after Indiraji's historic visit. It is these related associations that make today's function a special occasion for all of us.

As I have said so often, we in India have great regard and respect for President Karzai for he is leading a historic experiment in our region that deserves the support of the entire world community. The success of Afghan democracy and the development of Afghanistan are of great importance not just for the people of that great and ancient land, but for humanity as a whole.

I recall with pride the words of President Hamid Karzai when he spoke at the function in Kabul last year where the foundation stone for the Afghan Parliament was laid. President Karzai held up the example of India and said that India's success in democratic governance had shown to the developing world that democracy is not a luxury of only the advanced western nations alone. That, in fact, "countries of eastern cultures could also present successful examples of democratic politics. Asian and African countries in general, and Afghanistan in particular, he went on to say, can learn much from the rich experience of India."

We all salute the people of Afghanistan for the courage, fortitude, determination and wisdom they have shown by embracing democracy as a way of life and of governance. India will do whatever it is called upon to do to strengthen democracy and promote development in Afghanistan. This is our solemn commitment to a neighbour, to a trusted friend, to a great people.

The Afghan people have demonstrated that they welcome democracy, desire prosperity and seek to become a source of stability in our region. As democratic societies, we work to foster tolerance and pluralism because it is only in such an environment that our people will realize their true inherent potential. Afghanistan today faces major developmental challenges and the infrastructure of physical and human resources need re-building.

On behalf of the Government and people of India, I reiterate our commitment to working together for Afghanistan's future. We support the Government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to make Afghanistan a stable and prosperous country. We are committed to the welfare and well-being of the people of Afghanistan. We will walk, hand in hand, helping the Afghan people build a New Afghanistan. An Afghanistan of peace, an Afghanistan of prosperity. An Afghanistan of plurality.

The destiny of nations is shaped by the vast multitude of ordinary people doing their normal work. However, there comes a time in the history of every nation when a leader, a thinker, a builder, a teacher takes charge and inspires his people to seek their due place in the comity of nations. Afghanistan has had many great leaders in its history. In that long lineage, President Karzai occupies a special and privileged place as a modernist, a liberal, and a democrat with a deep understanding of his nation's place in the modern world.

These are also the aspects of Indiraji's personality that made her a great world statesman. I therefore, once again, convey my deep sense of appreciation of the award of this year's Indira Gandhi Prize to President Karzai. We wish him well, and we wish the people of Afghanistan well. Jai Hind."