Posted on 12/05/2006 4:45:59 PM PST by mylife
Pak ready to give up Kashmir claim
United News of India
New Delhi, December 5, 2006|14:36 IST
Pakistan is prepared to give up its claim on Kashmir, the demand for plebiscite in the region and on implementation of UN Resolutions if both countries agree on the four-point solution.
In an interview with a private channel here, Gen Musharraf said self-governance or autonomy did not mean independence and Pakistan is against independence for Kashmir.
He said Pakistan was prepared to give up its claim to Kashmir if India and Pakistan agree on the four-point solution (a solution in which boundaries are not changed and India does not have to give up any territory).
"We will have to. Yes, if this solution comes up," he said when asked if he was prepared to give up claim to Kashmir.
"...We are on the same position as we were since 1948. But we both...I am saying we both ought to be prepared to give up all that we have been saying. And this includes all this...
If we reach an agreement where we are giving self governance, yes indeed, we...That is it..."
President Musharraf also made it clear that if the four-point solution, which includes no change in boundaries of Kashmir, making borders and the LoC irrelevant, staggered demilitarisation and autonomy or self-governance with a joint supervision mechanism, is agreed upon, Pakistan would also give up on the UN resolutions and its long-standing demand for a plebiscite.
He said when both sides are negotiating, it meant compromise and compromise could never take place without stepping back.
So inherently, both sides would have to give up their positions and step back.
The Pakistan president made it clear once Pakistan gave up its claim to Kashmir, this four-point solution was not a negotiating step towards getting independence for Kashmir and that self-governance or autonomy was not the first step to Kashmir's independence.
"Yes, we are against independence...." he said when asked whether he meant no independence for Kashmir.
That's not too bad though. Most people (including previous Pakistan governments, to my knowledge) would not even admit that they would have to concede anything at all.
Whether it's just all words and no action -- that we don't know yet.
Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I can't help thinking there's something more going on here. How close is this to where OBL is hiding?
No where near, this is where Pakistan borders India, not Afghanistan. I think it's a win for him anyway, Kashmir is mostly Muslim.
Most believe OBL is in Waziristan, though he could well be in Kashmir.
He seems to have a thing for the hindu kush
my thoughts exactly. Just looking from the outside, Pak washes their hands of the problem and India goes in and does what Musharef has been unable to do because of his political situation with Pak's large Muslim population.
A generation ago the demographics were different. In fact, about 80 years ago Kashmir was a Hindu kingdom. Muslims slaughtered a huge number of Hindus as well as driving huge numbers out.
I can't recall any large numbers of stories about terrorism or Pakistani adventures in Kashmire for the past year or two. The two countries came close to a nuclear exchange earlier (bill clinton having kindly let China provide Pakistan with nukes).
With today's press you can't tell. Maybe they just aren't bothering to report it. But I'd have thought we'd have heard at least something about it if things were still heated up.
No, Kashmir really doesn't have much to gain with Kashmir, in my opinion. Just a new bunch of troublemakers, and they have enough of those already.
"I can't recall any large numbers of stories about terrorism or Pakistani adventures in Kashmire for the past year or two."
Well then you haven't been paying attention or you are totally out of touch.
Did you notice this offer is all about India reducing troops in Kashmir and has nothing about eliminating terrorism or the jihadi factories in Pakistan? What they want India to do is get them to reduce troops in Kashmir so that they can pull another Kargil on India.
It looked like a lot of doubletalk from Mushareff to me
Compared to earlier years? Yes, there have been terrorist incidents and the usual Muslims running amok, but nothing on the scale of what we saw in earlier years.
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