ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's efforts to involve "all groups" in Jammu and Kashmir towards finding a solution to the conflict in the State.

In a phone-in interview on CNBC on Friday night, President Musharraf, who took questions from an international audience, said both he and the Dr. Singh were talking to a range of political groups from the State. His proposal of demilitarisation, self-governance and joint management in Kashmir was an idea that could be debated and modified.

"But how to move forward? All elements in Kashmir, including [the] All-Parties' Hurriyat Conference, other elements with whom we were not dealing in the past like Omar Abdullah — he never came to Pakistan and we never interacted with him [before], but we interacted with him and other political elements within Kashmir [when they visited Pakistan in March] — and all groups are talking demilitarisation and self-governance. It is for [the] people of Kashmir now to generate the kind of ideas and pressure on the Indian Government on some form of a resolution.

"I am very glad to say that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been interacting with all groups of Kashmiris. Obviously he is talking of some kind of resolution. Obviously. What else we are talking?" he said.

The President said he would like to talk about all issues, including Kashmir, with the Prime Minister when he visits Pakistan.

The tone of General Musharraf's remarks was more positive than those of the recent flurry of statements from him and other leaders, including Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, expressing despondency and disappointment at the "slow pace" of the peace process.

President Musharraf said Pakistan realised that the Kashmir issue had to be sorted out bilaterally and was not trying to internationalise the issue. "Yes I do talk about it everywhere because we think this is the core dispute which we need to resolve to improve relations between out two countries and to improve South Asia and make SAARC potent. But by no means am I saying I would like to multilaterlise it. I do know that ultimately we have to resolve it bilaterally. However, if we fail to do it bilaterally, I have no doubt that I would like to multilateralise it."

Earlier this week, India said it rejected references at the Baku meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conferences to Jammu and Kashmir.

President Musharraf said in the composite dialogue process with India "we are going forward on confidence-building mechanisms and conflict resolution." In conflict resolution, "Kashmir is [the] key issue and we have to move forward."

He said he was "comfortable" holding the offices of both Army Chief and President. It was "very much needed at the moment" because of the current international, regional and domestic pressures on Pakistan. "It is in the fitness of things that I retain both offices."

The Constitution permitted him to do this until the end of 2007. "After that I have said I will not violate the Constitution. So we will cross the bridge when we come to it."

To seek re-election

Gen. Musharraf has said he will seek election for another term through the existing electoral college that endorsed his first term, which he won in a controversial referendum.

Opposition parties have rejected the plan. They have asked him to give up his uniform, hold free and fair elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies and face re-election through the new electoral college.

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