Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday sought to give a new direction to his peace initiative, saying the effort was aimed at encouraging those elements in Pakistan 'who recognise the folly of permanent hostility towards India.'

Indo-Pak peace process: The complete coverage

Addressing the combined armed forces commanders conference in New Delhi, Vajpayee said India will enter into a
dialogue with Pakistan only after it sees sincerity in Islamabad's efforts to stop cross border terrorism and to dismantle infrastructure of terrorism.

Referring to recent measures announced to promote greater people to people interaction, cultural exchanges and economic cooperation with Pakistan, Vajpayee said it is India's effort  to encourage moderate elements in Pakistan.

Calling on the armed forces to evolve a comprehensive counter-terrorism doctrine by developing suitable capabilities of manpower and high technology equipment, the prime minister said the Russian retreat from Afghanistan had released thousands of armed mujahideens and jehadis whom Pakistan had redirected them into Jammu and Kashmir.

On the boundry dispute with China, the prime minister said: "We should be willing to take some pragmatic decisions" to reach the strategic objective of final resolution of the dispute.
 
Vajpayee said the two governments' decision to appoint special representatives to discuss the boundary question from a political perspective was a significant measure.

"A final resolution of the boundary question would release considerable military energies and finance for other more purposeful activities," he said.

The prime minister said the Pokhran nuclear tests and the country's ambitious missile development programme showed India's determination to respond decisively to "our security environment, in spite of all external pressures."

Vajpayee asked armed forces strategists to work closely with the Defence Research and Development Organisation to ensure smooth two-way interflow between technology and strategy.

"Since both technologies and strategies transform each other, it is essential that the users of the technologies -- the field units - should also be in the loop," the prime minister said.

In his over 45 minute address, Vajpayee told the commanders that the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union had been a great jolt to India's strategic and security assumptions.

The prime minister said the Iraq War had opened up new post-Cold War divisions, with heated debates on the meaning and viability of a cooperative multi-polar world order.

He said the recent events had shown the inability of the UN structures to deal with current world realities. "We need to understand the true significance of these events and draw from them the right political and strategic lessons for our long term security," he said.

The commanders were also addressed by Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani.