19 November 2004	Friday	06 Shawwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has assured the Kashmiri leadership that while Pakistan is very much interested in discussing various options for the resolution of the Kashmir issue , it has no plans whatsoever to accept anything unconditional as was being expected by some quarters in India and by a few other countries.

Informed sources told Dawn that during his five-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with leaders of Azad Jummu and Kashmir and representatives of All Parties Hurriat Conference (APHC), the president said on Wednesday that if Islamabad was showing any flexibility, it should not be expected to "agree on any unilateral and unconditional solution to the Kashmir issue."

During the forthcoming talks to be held between two prime ministers on Nov 23 in New Delhi, Pakistan, he said, would insist that the ongoing confidence-building measures (CBMs) could not linger on for a long period and that Islamabad should not be expected to avoid linking these CBMs with the Kashmir dispute.

"The president has told us that Kashmir dispute cannot linger on for an indefinite period and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will make it clear to his Indian counterpart," said a participant of the meeting.

"General Sahib also assured us that there is no question of accepting the Line of Control (LoC) as international border or a permanent border should India continues calling occupied Kashmir as its integral part or remains unprepared to accept its division," he said.

The president said that if India was not ready to deviate from its stand on Kashmir, then it would not be possible for Islamabad to show any unilateral flexibility.

The sources said that during the question-answer session, the president was asked what could be any plausible solution that might be accepted by all three parties of the dispute - India, Pakistan and Kashmiris.

"There may not be any instant solution available. But if independent Kashmir is not a viable option, then the Muslim majority areas of Kashmir valley, including, Poonch Kustwar, Doda, Browa, should be allowed to form their own identity or be allowed to go with Pakistan. I believe that religious, ethnic and linguistic considerations cannot be overlooked while finding out any permanent solution to the Kashmir issue," he replied.

The president, the sources said, also talked about having some kind of a buffer zone in the Muslim areas of Kashmir after the withdrawal of all Indian troops from occupied Kashmir.

The president said that one of the options could be that the pre-1947 independent position of Kashmir should be restored. The president regretted that he was misunderstood when he talked about various options and solutions during his Iftar/dinner function and that he never meant to officially talk about finding out a solution to the 57-year-old dispute.

However, he said that he felt confident after having met Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New York during the last UN General Assembly session that the solution of Kashmir dispute would be found soon.

"If Pakistan can achieve its objectives without insisting on plebiscite, I think Its not a bad deal," the president was quoted as saying.

"Mr Singh agreed with me that both countries must look for new ways and means to arrive at a solution rather than sticking to their rigid positions on Kashmir," the president said.

The sources said that the president assured the Kashmiri leadership that interests of Kashmiris would never be compromised and that without their participation and involvement, no solution of Kashmir would be acceptable to Pakistan. "You have my words that your sacrifices, your identity and your interests will never be compromised by Pakistan," the president was quoted as saying.