NEW DELHI, May 29: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan was quoted on Sunday as welcoming a recent proposal by President Gen Pervez Musharraf to demilitarize parts of Jammu and Kashmir followed by partial autonomy. India’s NDTV news channel and a Pakistani TV channel reported that Dr Singh welcomed the proposal in remarks at a news conference in Shimla. They gave no details.
In more widely reported comments from the same news conference, Dr Singh expressed the hope on Sunday that the recently concluded talks on the Siachen dispute with Pakistan would lead to a solution between the two countries.
“We are moving in the right direction and hope to solve the problems amicably,” Dr Singh told reporters in Shimla where he inaugurated the 1,500 MW Naphtha Jhakri hydro power project.
Dr Singh said he would meet the Indian delegation that had gone to Pakistan to discuss the Siachen issue. “We will study and discuss the deliberations and are hopeful that some solution will be found.”
The Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service was a good beginning and if required the frequency of the service could be increased. There was apparently no question asked about India’s refusal to allow the Kashmiri resistance leaders to travel to Pakistan by the bus.
“We are honestly trying our best to improve bilateral relations with Pakistan but there are some problems which I hope will be overcome, “Dr Singh said.
He said that India was committed to making “full and sincere” efforts to resolve all bilateral problems with Pakistan through talks in spite of certain difficulties in the path. I am satisfied with talks with President Pervez Musharraf, Dr Sing said. “It appears to me that the atmosphere is okay. But there are many difficulties…We are trying that the understanding and confidence building measures become stronger and people-to-people contact increase.”
Asked a specific question on President Musharraf’s demilitarization proposal on Kashmir, the prime minister said that while the dialogue was moving forward, there is much that needs to be done.
ADVANI DUE TODAY: Indian opposition leader Lal Kishan Advani, who starts a week-long visit to Pakistan on Monday, said he was pleased with the ongoing dialogue with Islamabad, but cautioned that a quest for lasting peace between the two countries was still a formidable task “I consider my visit to be a part of the happy process of steadily increasing people-to-people contacts at various levels between India and Pakistan,” Mr Advani said in a pre-departure statement a day ahead of his visit. The Bharatiya Janata Party president will be accompanied by a large media contingent to ensure a high visibility in India.
While he did not refer to the consultations he had last week on his proposed visit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said he was happy to note that Dr Singh had continued to carry forward the agendaof peace through dialogue.
“My visit is a continuation of the bold and historic initiative started by former Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee to seek lasting peace, resolution of all the outstanding issues and normalization of relations between India and Pakistan through a process of sincere and sustained dialogue,” he said.
Mr Advani singled out the joint statement issued in Islamabad on Jan 6, 2004 after talks between the prime minister of India and the president of Pakistan as a major breakthrough. “It brought about a radical change in our bilateral relations andtriggered the peace process that has proceeded steadily since then. When I met President Musharraf during his visit to Delhi last month, Iwarmly complimented him for his contribution.”
