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No military solution to Kashmir: Musharraf

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday night said that there can be no military solution to the Kashmir dispute.

He maintained that the Kashmir dispute continued to block the normalisation of Indo-Pak relations, adding that the dispute must be resolved peacefully.

"We must be bold enough to face this issue (Kashmir) squarely and resolve it once and for all. This indeed will open a new chapter of fruitful relations between our two countries and also put an end to the sufferings of the people of Kashmir," he said in his speech at a banquet hosted in his honour by President KR Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Asserting the nuclear status of the two countries imposed new responsibilities on them, Musharraf said, "our capabilities and responsibilities in the new century no longer offer us the option of continuing on the path of a sterile impasse, continued hostility and mistrust."

Striking a different note from the Kashmir centric pre-summit approach, Musharraf said he was deeply committed to finding a path towards normal relations between the two countries.

"I would like the communications to open, trade to flourish, mindsets to change and stereotypes to disappear," he said.

Noting that the regions around the world were focussing on reducing tension for economic prosperity, social well-being and poverty alleviation, Musharraf said the Indian subcontinent needed 'cooperation, mutual trust and peace'.

"The children of Pakistan and India must not be made to live under the constant shadow of conflict," he said.

Praising Vajpayee for his 'wisdom and dignity', he said his meeting with the prime minister earlier on Saturday was 'extremely rewarding'.

Referring to Sunday's historic summit at Agra, Musharraf said the two sides will hold discussions on the future direction of their difficult and troubled relationship.

PTI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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