It is a matter of great satisfaction, which also holds out a promise of hope, that the recent meeting of the National Integra­tion Council at Srinagar has given a clear lead to the people of this country on the political, social, educational and administrative measures necessary as a first step towards eradicating the divi­sive forces that have been plaguing our society. What is of the greatest significance is not so much the recommendations as the emergence of a broad national front cutting across party lines in dealing with the threats to national unity and solidarity. The sincerity of purpose and dedication to the cause of unity that characterised the deliberations of the Council are perhaps the greatest contribution of the Srinagar meeting to the task of re­versing the unhealthy trends witnessed in recent years.

The Declaration of Objectives issued by the Council is a docu­ment that beckons to all citizens, and, in the words of the Prime Minister, to all that is decent and rational in the nation's life, to rally round the great ideals of tolerance, harmony and goodwill for which this country has unswervingly stood over the many millennia of its history; indeed if the Declaration is implemented in the spirit in which it has been conceived, it could be the starting point for a mass movement in the cause of national integration.