Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear that while his government is keen to move forward on relations with Pakistan, there was no question of redrawing borders.‘‘We must make borders irrelevant through greater people-to-people contact and some give-and-take at the governmental level,’’ he said on board his special aircraft, hours before it touched down at the Orly airport in Paris around 8.30 pm today.The PM said that he had not changed his mind on President Musharraf, adding that he was a man with whom India ‘‘could do business’’ with. However, we have to constantly evaluate the conditions on the ground, he added.The PM refused to comment on the statement by Musharraf that Sarabjit Singh, who is facing a death sentence in Pakistan, had a hand in a series of bomb blasts there. He said his government was in touch with Pakistan on the issue. Consular access to Sarabjit him was a result of the Indian government’s efforts, he added.Asked if the Kashmir Valley was ripe for a ceasefire, the Prime Minister said that infiltration must stop first and violence cease. ‘‘We could then consider reducing troop deployment in Kashmir,’’ he added.On a possible road link between Afghanistan and India, he said it was on the UPA government’s mind.On talks with Hurriyat leaders in Kashmir, Singh said, ‘‘We will then decide what level of talks should be held,’’ after the moderates indicate what they want to discuss.To a question on US unhappiness over the proposed Iran pipeline, the Prime Minister said that India was terribly short on energy and was far too dependent on hydrocarbons. ‘‘If we can get alternate sources of energy, we would welcome it,’’ he added.He parried questions on Iranian nuclear proliferation and the American response to it by contending that his government was in touch with the US on this issue.
