Search the Internet          Tips

Musharraf suggests No War Pact

In an interview to a television network, Gen Musharraf said, "India has offered a pact on no first use of nuclear weapons. I am ready to go one step ahead... for a No War Pact."

On his upcoming summit with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Gen Musharraf said the July 15 Agra meeting would be 'incomplete' without the involvement of the Hurriyat Conference in the talks and the earlier they were involved the better.

"I think it (the talks) would remain incomplete without them. I think they should be allowed to meet me at least and may be involved in the dialogue process at some stage if we make some progress on the Kashmir issue because a solution is not possible without their wishes and desires being ascertained," he said.

Gen Musharraf said any solution to the Kashmir issue must involve the wishes of Kashmiris. He emphasised the need to address the Kashmir issue in the initial stages and move towards its resolution before getting involved in peripheral issues.

The general, however, refused to divulge what he had in mind on the issue as he prepared for the summit.

Replying to a question on Kargil and about the confidence shattered by the incident, he said, "We must not get caught in history else we will be opening a Pandora's box."

He said there was a need to go further and not remain restricted to Kargil. "There is no end to going back. I would like to go back to Siachen. I would like to go back to 1971. I would like to go back to 1948 etc. There is no end to going back in history."

Stressing the need for not succumbing to unnecessary rhetoric, which disturbed the environment before the conference, he called for desisting from making contentious statements.

"We should be making statements which are liked by the two sides so that the job of either side is facilitated when we meet each other," he said.

He termed reports about his statement on the invitation being extended to him under international pressure, particularly from the United States of America, as 'irresponsible'.

"I wouldn't like to support anybody who is making such statements. I think the issue involved is far bigger. We are trying to resolve a dispute which has bedeviled (relations) for 50 years. We have fought wars over it. We have suffered casualties. Why issue statements which would hamper the process of the dialogue," he said.

On why had there been no talk about the Shimla Agreement or the Lahore Declaration, he said Pakistan did contribute to all the agreements starting with the 1948 UN Resolution, which Islamabad needed to adhere to.

Gen Musharraf, however, said he would like to go a step further as a lot had changed since Lahore and Shimla. Both countries were nuclear powers and both had realised that that it was time for taking bold decisions. So may be there was a need to examine these accords or whether more focus was required on these issues, he added.

Asked in the eventuality of the summit being derailed would it mean an absolute disaster, Gen Musharraf said he would be very unhappy if it got derailed.

"I think Vajpayee and myself ought to understand that it would be most unfortunate if we fail," he said.

UNI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report