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‘Both countries desire peace’
Vajpayee asks Hurriyat to talk to Pant before Gen Musharraf

MANALI (HP), May 29: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today asked the Hurriyat Conference to talk to Government’s interlocutor K C Pant before pressing for a meeting with Pakistan’s military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

"Hurriyat leaders were released from jail to enable them to talk to the Indian Government. Pant is in Jammu and Kashmir for talks with various groups and they should come forward for parleys with him," Vajpayee, who is on a sojourn here, told reporters.

"Doosron Ki Bari Baad Mein Aayegi" (the turn of others will come later)," he said when asked about the demand by Pakistan that Hurriyat leaders should be permitted to meet Musharraf during his proposed visit to New Delhi.

Stating that his invitation to Musharraf should not be construed as a "weakness" but a demonstration of India’s self-confidence, Vajpayee said New Delhi always favoured a political solution to the Kashmir issue because it did not consider it a religious matter.

Terming his invitation to Musharraf as a "new initiative" as both countries desired peace, he said it was a "well thought out" one and hoped Islamabad would respond positively.

So far he has not received any communication from Pakistan, he said.

To a question, the Prime Minister recalled Musharraf had stated on several occasions that he was prepared to talk to India any time and anywhere.

Other countries had also favoured resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan, he said.

He pointed out that India had never said it would not talk to military regime in Pakistan.

Recalling that Islamabad had military rule for long, he said that even after the Kargil conflict, India had maintained full diplomatic relations with Islamabad.

On ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was done to create a right environment in the Valley. The six-month-long ceasefire was called off as it was found that even after three extensions, it had not yielded desirable results, he said. To a question on the killing of 16 BSF soldiers by Bangladesh Rifles last month, Vajpayee said India’s response to the incident was "well considered, appropriate and adequate".

On imposition of a dress code on Hindus by Taliban in Afghanistan, he said it had been condemned by the entire world and India was mobilising international opinion against it. (PTI)

Musharraf prepared to talk about converting LoC into IB

NEW DELHI, May 29 : Pakistan Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf tonight said he was prepared to discuss the issues of converting the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir into International Border and the question of independence for Kashmiris.

"Well frankly, I would like to deal with these issues when we confront them. We will cross the bridges when we arrive at them," he said in an interview to the BBC.

Gen Musharraf, who has accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to visit India for talks, said "we are going with a very open and flexible mind and once the dialogue process starts and we start moving towards the solution, then we will address these issues."

He was replying to a question on whether he was prepared to make the LoC permanent or give Kashmiris independence if there were a plebiscite.

He hoped that the low point between the two countries following kargil had come to an end, saying it was all history and the two countries needed to move ahead.

"I am looking ahead with cautious optimism, I would say," he said.

The General appreciated Mr Vajpayee’s "statesmanship, vision, courage and boldness" in extending the invitation.

"I go with an open mind to make it historic but certainly the ultimate outcome depends on the initiation of the dialogue. The outcome of the dialogue will prove whether we are moving towards the historic direction or not." Asked whether he would discuss topics other than Kashmir, Gen musharraf said "well certainly i am flexible. I have been saying that the core issue is Kashmir and let there be no doubt in that. But there are other issues also and i have no reservations in discussing those."

He said if India wanted a dialogue on reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons altogether, Pakistan was ready.

"We could talk about de-nuclearising South Asia. So if the Prime Minister (Vajpayee) is interested, we could go ahead with him. But let us not sideline the main issue. It is the Kashmir issue which is the primary focus."

About the speculation in Pakistan that he could be the next President, Gen Musharraf said no such decision had been taken yet.

On whether he would hand over power to former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharief or Ms Benazir Bhutto if their Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) came to power the General said "certainly I have no differences with these parties as such. They are national parties, the PML and the people’s party, and therefore I have no problem with either of them winning the elections, that is no problem at all."

He, however, in a veiled warning, said they would have to answer the nation for whatever they had done. "So whoever wants to come back, they have to answer, to confront the nation and be accountable and answerable to the nation. So to that extent we are very clear on their role - their role can only be after they are held accountable for whatever misdeeds they did."(UNI)