He said the natural disaster had demonstrated in a dramatic fashion how "lines drawn upon the map mean so little when tragedy strikes."
"Today, peace between the two countries is becoming increasingly people driven. I can testify to a remarkable transformation in the public mood in both countries," he said in a message read out at a function to launch a book "Journey to Amity: India and Musharraf's Pakistan" on India-Pakistan relations written by noted journalist K K Katyal.
Referring to cooperation witnessed between the two countries in the wake of the October 8 earthquake, Singh said, "You can witness this change in public mood today in the outpouring of spontaneous sympathy and sense of solidarity between the people of the two countries."
He said India and Pakistan should build on this "spirit of humanity and natural affinity" which binds the people of the two countries together.
About the idea of the author in his book to make the border "progressively irrelevant," the minister said it was an "encouraging signpost."
