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Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

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International - India & World

Musharraf wants reasonable timeframe on Kashmir

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JULY 31. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has said that a year-and-a-half, could be the "reasonable timeframe'' for resolution of the Kashmir issue.

In an interview to the English daily, Pakistan Observer, Gen. Musharraf referred to his recent talks with the External Affairs Minister, K. Natwar Singh, and insisted on the definition of a timeframe for Kashmir.

Incidentally, the Pakistan Foreign Office gave a special briefing to Gen. Musharraf on the progress of the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan.

Gen. Musharraf has been quoted as telling the meeting that the need was for a "substantial and result-oriented dialogue'' for resolution of all issues, including Kashmir.

It was not immediately clear why Gen. Musharraf deemed it necessary to carry out a "comprehensive" review of the dialogue process with the Foreign Office, as the first round is to culminate in a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, only in September in New Delhi.

`Wonderful interaction'

Gen. Musharraf told the daily that he had "wonderful interaction" with Mr. Singh during his recent visit here in connection with the SAARC Council of Ministers Conference. He was quoted as saying that they discussed all issues, notably Kashmir.

"Natwar Singh did speak that we should not be in a hurry. Hurry is a comparative term. I do not think hurry means five or 10 years. What I mean is it may be months or up to a year or a year-and-a-half should be enough. We must have a definition of hurry," Gen. Musharraf said.

Gen. Musharraf told Mr. Singh that there must be a reasonable timeframe for resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

"I would say that we progressed on the issue of confidence-building. This would be clearer when the Foreign Ministers meet in September."

Referring to the confidence-building measures (CBMs), he said CBMs and dialogue process should make progress in tandem. "We want to get closer in trade and commerce. We want to resolve the disputes for the sake of the people of the region, for the sake of economic integration of the region, which is SAARC, and on a bilateral level between India and Pakistan."

Asked about the reported "anti-Pakistan activities" of the Indian consulates in Afghanistan, the President said the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has assured him that his Government would not allow such activities.

"I expect they will not be allowed." Gen. Musharraf told the daily: "I would not like to say anything on it under the present circumstances when our relations with India have improved."

Religious extremism

On the impression that terrorism had aggravated in Pakistan because of the way it was being handled, he replied there was religious and sectarian extremism going on in the country. "We want to fight it head on. Nobody had challenged it in the past."

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