The Hindu : Front Page : Indra Nooyi pitches for India-Pakistan dialogue

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Friday, Jun 19, 2009
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Indra Nooyi pitches for India-Pakistan dialogue

“We hope Pakistan could develop peacefully”

Says troubled ties between the two countries have consequences for rest of the world
Praises the recent Lok Sabha elections

— Photo: PTI

FULL OF WARMTH: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and PepsiCo head Indra K. Nooyi greet each other at the U.S.-India Business Council’s 34th anniversary summit in Washington on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON: Indra K. Nooyi, India-born head of PepsiCo, on Thursday favoured talks between India and Pakistan, which she said were vital for the region’s economic growth.

Noting that the “troubled relations between India and Pakistan have consequences for the rest of the world, not just for those two countries,” she told a gathering of Indian and U.S. corporate leaders that “we believe it is vital that India engage with its neighbours, follow a common market and create meaningful investment opportunities.”

A block away from the White House, Ms. Nooyi was addressing the inaugural session of the Synergies Summit of the U.S.-India Business Council.

Ms. Nooyi said “we all hope” that Pakistan could develop peacefully and democratically, and this was good for its people and neighbours.

“In this era in which technology and communication brings together politics and economies of distant nations, we are all connected.”

Arguing for a dialogue between India and Pakistan, she said: “That way if India can build on a mature benefit of shared prosperity, it can help to ensure that the delicate relationship between these two nations is maintained on a peaceful footing.”

But she reckoned that India could not do it alone; industry had a role to play.

Pakistan, along with protectionism and poverty, were the three issues that held the future for India. In all the three, industry could play a role, she said.

Praising the recent Lok Sabha elections, Ms. Nooyi said: “It is not my place to comment on Indian elections. But it would be safe to say that people in India voted for the integrity of a Prime Minister they trust, stability, and sustaining the wheel of development at this time of economic downturn.” — PTI

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