A conflict cannot be solution, President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday said, adding the Line of Control (LoC) cannot be solution to the Kashmir dispute.
It was upon the status of the LoC that both India and Pakistan fought wars, he said in response to a question at a press conference held at the media centre of the United Nations.
He said: "The Line of Control has been the dispute we have fought wars. For what? On the present status of the Line of Control. So, what are you suggesting is that a conflict should be the solution." "Isn't it unnatural?" "How can a conflict on which we have fought wars be the solution tomorrow - and that is absolutely ridiculous. Can't be (possible)."
He was asked, "few miles here and few miles there, can there be such sort of solution on the LoC," to resolve the Kashmir issue.
To another question, he said, he saw Kashmir as "a political dispute not a religious issue."
"It is a political dispute, which needs to be resolved amicably." He urged that it was time to discuss resolution of issues, including Kashmir, through dialogue process, and stressed that matters need solution and it was no contribution to "complicate" matters further. "Nothing gets resolved in anger," he stated, it was time to give peace a chance.
Asked of principled UN stand on plebiscite, he made it clear that "we have not left our political positions on Kashmir." "I have always said that CBMs and dialogue process have to move in tandem, and that is a very realistic approach."
"How can any normalisation or CBMs take place without addressing an issue on which we have fought three wars and a number of skirmishes, we kill each other every day on the Line of Control."
He asked, was it possible to deal in anger with anyone. "Therefore, we are two angry countries. Let's resolve all that element of anger, and only then can we proceed on normalisation everywhere. That is my answer. Let us make it in tandem. Let us move forward on everything." He said, with normalisation would follow economic relations.
"This whole area, South Asia, is suffering because of conflict between India and Pakistan, he said, adding, "we are two major countries of that region."
In a light vein, he said, in fact, somebody said, when two elephants fight the grass gets trampled. And, we are trampling the grass everywhere around. "Therefore, we need to resolve conflicts between ourselves."
"And, we must move forward in tandem - in the interest of both the countries - but, lets not sideline an issue, which is the core and we have fought wars on it. We cannot do that, I have spoken of enlightened moderation and it is two-pronged."
"I believe in thinking now," he stated. "We must understand the realities, and we must contribute to peace and closing of all the fronts that have been opened," the president stated.
President Musharraf asked the people of Kashmir to trust and leave things to him, adding he does not follow "a hackneyed line."
"If you follow rigid line, it never leads to peace." He said, India and Pakistan both follow maximalist approaches - this is what diplomacy teaches. Follow maximalist approach and then come on the table and start negotiating.
ASSURANCE TO KASHMIRIS: He called for leaving aside hackneyed approaches and adoption of realistic approach, instead- "if we want to solve the problem- which, he stated, "will not be done unilaterally."
He assured the people of Kashmir that "no unilateral backtracking by Pakistan is possible." He said in their dialogue, both Pakistan and India need to show flexibility - need to reverse from their maximalist positions, and that is how we can reach some conclusion. Otherwise, they cannot reach conclusion.
He made it clear that no peace, or solution could be acceptable unless India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir agree to it, and no solution is possible without the people of Kashmir accepting that solution.
He said he wants to again convey to the people of Kashmir: "we will never let you down." "They (Kashmiris) will be part of the final solutions" he added. In the dialogue process, he said, "we want to address Kashmir as a problem. There are Hindus in Pakistan, there are Muslims in India."
To an Indian journalist, the president said, every hackneyed question has a hackneyed answer. If you claim of terrorist camps in Pakistan, then there are human rights violations going on in held Kashmir.
He urged that it was time to address the Kashmir issue "head-on," and let us catch the bull by the horn- let us resolve the Kashmir dispute.
To a question, he said, "we have not left our political position on Kashmir. Not at all."
"But, I have said it very clearly that it is a bilateral issue- no action can be taken by Pakistan unilaterally."
"It will need two hands to clap. We are not going to clap with one hand. There is nothing like backtracking by Pakistan. There is nothing like giving up political position by Pakistan- but, if we go forward on the negotiations we address the issue- we need to take stock of both our positions - the maximalist positions, and try to arrive at a consensus, which will really mean - by both of us to fall back from our maximalist positions, otherwise we are not going to reach a conclusion." He said: "APHC is the representative of the Kashmiris, and we need to take them into consideration."
President Musharraf said he does not believe in dialogue for the sake of dialogue, but told a questioner that he does not want to lay a timeframe.
"We have waited too long, and damaged each other too long - it is time to heal wounds," he added.
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