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Musharraf not sure of Congress interpretation

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MAY 27. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has said that he is not very sure 0f the nuances of the statement made by the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, that Shimla agreement is the bedrock of India-Pakistan relations and all differences should be resolved in its light.

In an interview to a Pakistan private television channel, Gen. Musharraf said that every agreement was interpreted differently by different people, different Governments. "I have seen in diplomacy, every word is interpreted differently by both sides, so I really do not know what is the real meaning."

When asked on the reported statement by Mr. Natwar Singh, Gen. Musharraf said that if the Minister meant that there would be no movement or a status quo decision, he begged to totally differ with him. He said that making the Line of Control, as permanent border was also not acceptable.

"If he is meaning this that we will go by the Shimla agreement, then I do not agree with him, but if he means that we need to address this issue of Kashmir and solve it through a dialogue, then yes we will follow the Shimla agreement. So I really do not know what the issue of Shimla agreement is," Gen. Musharraf said.

He said that while the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, initiated the latest peace process, there should be no difficulty in carrying forward under the Manmohan Singh Government.

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