Musharraf talks with Indian PM 'better than expected'
Pakistan’s president said today that talks with his Indian counterpart were more successful than he expected, but warned that settling the dispute over Kashmir would take a long time.
General Pervez Musharraf said there had been a change in attitude in Pakistan about the Himalayan region, which is split between the neighbours, but claimed in its entirety by both. The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought two wars over it.
“Domestically there a realisation the military option is not the option any more,” he said at a breakfast meeting with Indian journalists at the end of a three-day visit to New Delhi. “The strategy of a coercive diplomacy is no more an option.”
During the talks, Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to increase the frequency of a cross-Kashmir bus service, which started earlier this month, and identify more places along the frontier that could be opened to traffic.
The two leaders also agreed to revive a joint commission to boost business ties and discussed opening more trade routes and potential pipelines to bring gas from Iran or Turkmenistan to India via Pakistan.
“Our achievements on all issues are more than what I expected,” Musharraf said. But on Kashmir, he said: “It will need a lot of time and wisdom to arrive at a settlement. Let us go step by step.”
Political observers said the talks were a success.
“It is a big push forward,” said MK Rasgotra, a former Indian diplomat. “Both sides have shown flexibility and displayed pragmatism, especially on the Kashmir issue.”
Talat Masood, a former general of the Pakistani army, said Islamabad appeared reconciled to “India’s position on the territorial aspect of Kashmir”.
The decisions marked a major shift in how India and Pakistan have approached Kashmir, which has led to two of their three wars, said C Raja Mohan, a New Delhi-based professor of south Asian studies.
“In the past, the whole emphasis was on defending positions, and trying to score over each other.”
Also, for the first time, the two countries appeared headed for an agreement on tackling regional terrorism, Raja Mohan said.
Musharraf assured Singh that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India.
More than a dozen Islamic militant groups are fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir for the region’s independence, or its merger with mostly Muslim Pakisan. Most groups are based in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The 15-year insurgency has claimed more than 66,000 lives.
