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'I'm the first Pak leader to be invited by India'

K J M Varma in Islamabad

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said his forthcoming visit to India would go down in the annals of history as a 'rare one' as he was the first president of the country to have been invited by India to discuss bilateral issues, including Kashmir.

In an interview to Pakistani news agency NNI, Musharraf said, "I am the first-ever Pakistani leader who has officially been invited by India to discuss bilateral issues including the core issue of Kashmir."

The Pakistani President said, "We will have plain talks. We will have to keep in mind that there is lot of mistrust between us, we don't trust each other. There is lot of tension between us."

Musharraf said the main difference between the previous Indo-Pak summits and upcoming one was with regard to the seriousness and willingness on part of both the sides to enter into a dialogue to settle outstanding bilateral issues.

He said this time there is a genuine desire on part of both sides to talk each other without any pressure.

"This is why in such circumstances it was a rare historic visit. I would use the word of cautious optimism about the summit because it is the maximum one can suggest," he said.

Asked about the contents and agenda of the summit, Musharraf said Kashmir was surely going to be the 'central point of our talks since it is the core issue'.

"We fought wars due to this very issue and how can we ignore it," he added.

Referring to Kashmir, Musharraf said, "If we are able to make a breakthrough on the issue of Kashmir, then surely we will be able to tackle all other small problems."

PTI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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