Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, on Monday clearly set out striking peace with arch-rival Pakistan and getting on terms with China's economic growth as top priorities for his second term in office.
Addressing the country's press, Mr Singh said investment and savings rates in India's economy made economic growth of 10 per cent a year “an achievable target” in the medium term. He also said he was working with Islamabad to bridge a “trust deficit” to heal six decades of conflict.
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party has criticised Mr Singh for achieving little in the first year of his second term of office. The BJP on Monday said Mr Singh's term had been a disappointment, “devoid of any achievement”.