WORLD : India Leader Appeals to Sikhs
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AMRITSAR, India — India’s new prime minister made a dramatic peace overture in the strife-torn northern state of Punjab today, praying in the holiest Sikh shrine and expressing regret for years of bloodshed.
The streets of the Sikh holy city of Amritsar were clogged as tens of thousands of people welcomed Vishwanath Pratap Singh who rode in an open Jeep, stopping to shake hands and hug people.
“I express my regrets for whatever happened in the past,” Singh said after praying at the Golden Temple, the most sacred Sikh shrine.
“Whatever mistakes were made, I will try to correct them,” he told a news conference later. “Problems cannot be solved with bullets, but they can be solved with love.”
Thousands of people have been killed since Sikh militants began a ruthless campaign in Punjab for an independent homeland they call Khalistan (Land of the Pure).
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