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| 10 April 2004 | Saturday | 19 Safar 1425 |
Pakistan reaffirms pledge for peace
ISLAMABAD, April 9: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has vowed to press ahead with a tentative peace process with India, despite recent remarks that he would pull out of talks if there was no progress on resolving the sticky Kashmir dispute.
General Musharraf's latest comments at a meeting with Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali and top foreign ministry officials late on Thursday came after India said Pakistan's concerns about the slow pace of talks did not augur well for the nascent peace process.
"President Musharraf has reaffirmed his resolve to continue the process of dialogue with India," Pakistan Television reported on Friday. However, he stressed that resolving the dispute over the Kashmir was vital for regional peace.
"Pakistan wants a durable peace in South Asia and it is only possible through the settlement of (the) Kashmir issue," PTV quoted Musharraf as saying. Analysts say Musharraf is trying to push the Kashmir issue to the centre of dialogue and prevent it from being sidelined as in the past.
In remarks aired on the PTV last week, President Musharraf said progress over resolving the Kashmir dispute in the next few months was key to sustaining the peace process.
Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani said this week that Islamabad's concerns were not "happy indications" for the peace move launched last year after the nuclear-armed neighbours came to the brink of war in 2002. -Reuters
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