Musharraf calls for just solution to Kashmir issue

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, March 14, 2004

Musharraf calls for just solution to Kashmir issue

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Saturday called for a just solution to the Kashmir dispute so as to open a new chapter in the Pak-Indo relations.

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Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Saturday called for a just solution to the Kashmir dispute so as to open a new chapter in the Pak-Indo relations.

India and Pakistan must bury the past and chart a new roadmap for peace since the people of the two countries long for peace andare fed up with confrontation, Musharraf said while addressing the"India Today Conclave" on the future of the Pak-Indo relations viasatellite from Islamabad, which was broadcast by state-run Pakistan TV.

"If Pakistan and India could settle Kashmir in accordance with aspirations of the Kashmiris, a new chapter in our troubled history could begin," said Musharraf, adding this is only possibleif all parties are sincere in their quest for a just and durable peace through a solution acceptable to all.

Emphasizing the centrality of the Kashmir dispute, Musharraf said that "Let's be pragmatic. Let us learn to accept hard facts...and resolve it in an equitable and honorable manner acceptable to India, Pakistan and Kashmiris."

He reiterated that "The Kashmir dispute can never be sidelined or ignored" and stressed the two countries must move forward towards its solution in tandem with confidence-building measures.

He assured that Pakistan is determined "to take two steps forward if India takes one step and chooses to embark on a realistic quest for a just and durable peace with Pakistan, on thebasis of sovereign equality."

Musharraf stressed that the leaders on both sides should show more flexibility. "They have to be flexible enough to reach mutually acceptable solutions to previously intractable disputes and bold enough to bulldoze all opposition and risks enroute to peace," he said.

He added "We have to show enough maturity to be able to resolvedisputes bilaterally within a reasonable time line."

"This is a moment of hope and optimism. Let us nurture it carefully and make the process of engagement irreversible," said the president.

Pakistan and India have improved their relations in the past year. The two rivals not only resumed their ambassadorial relations but also restored land and air links which were downgraded or snapped after the terrorist attack on the Indian parliament in December, 2001.

The two neighbor, which have fought three major wars after their departition in 1947, agreed last month on modalities and timetable to hold composite dialogue for resolving all their outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute.

Source: Xinhua

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