Musharraf calls for direct talks with Indian PM

Washington, Sept 23: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has called for a direct dialogue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, rising above the long-winding official-level talks, to settle Kashmir and other issues that had long plagued the relations between India and Pakistan.

Replying to a question by an Indian student, after his speech at the George Washington University here yesterday, Gen Musharraf said, ''it is time that Dr Manmohan Singh and I, we sit down and reach decisions and solutions,'' because the official parleys had run their course.

''I have always believed one should never suffer from paralysis to analysis,'' he said quoting former US President Nixon.

He said he had invited Mr Singh and he hope he would come to Pakistan. ''We will try to move this (peace) process forward,'' he said.

Gen Musharraf said, ''I see Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as very positive and very sincere person.'' Making out a case for direct talks, he said he had invited Mr Singh, while the ministerial-level talks and secretarial-level talks would continue but ''I am, personally, of the view that they have run their course because their have been so many meetings.'' At the outset, Gen Musharraf said the two countries are going to start peace talks soon which should never break down. ''Talks should never breakdown through any kind of terrorist activities which we condemn and strongly oppose; more so because, it is the aim and objective of all the terrorists to make sure that these talks should fail.'' ''We will be playing their (terrorists) game if we allow the failure of the talks because of their actions,'' the Pakistan President said.

He said he had a ''wonderful'' meeting with Mr Singh during the Nonaligned Summit in Havana on September 16.

Gen Musharraf said the joint statement that he and Indian Prime Minister issued in Havana contained ''seeds of success and forward movement.'' The Havana document talks of establishing an India-Pakistan anti-terrorism institutional mechanism to identify and implement counter-terrorism initiatives and investigations.

It also commits the two countries ''to continue the joint search for mutually acceptable options for a peaceful negotiated settlement of all issues between India and Pakistan including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a sincere and purposeful manner.'' Gen Musharraf also issued an appeal to people of both India and Pakistan ''to show understanding and flexibility'' and extend support to him and Dr Manmohan Singh because there were people around who ''do not want peace to come and who prefer to derail this (peace process). They have rigid positions. They do not want to let the peace process move forward.'' ''The people of both countries want peace and want us to succeed in resolving our disputes and, therefore, it is up to the leadership to make sure that they get resolved,'' Gen Musharraf said.

UNI

Related Stories