NEW DELHI, May 14: Outgoing Indian premier Atal Behari Vajpayee said on Thursday in a departure speech that peace with Pakistan and other South Asian nations would remain his life-long wish.

"India has embarked on a historic peace process with our neighbour," he said.

"It will remain my life-long wish to see that we herald a new chapter of peace, cooperation and friendship in South Asia, with the People's Republic of China and with other nations in the world."

The outgoing prime minister said he was accepting the people's verdict and thanked them for the "opportunity to serve".

"When you gave us the mandate, the nation was faced with the challenge of stability, good governance and development. It is for you - and history - to judge what we achieved during this period," the 79-year-old leader said. -AFP