PM no response on Musharraf's 4-point formula

On board Air India One, Dec 16: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that he would welcome ''all efforts by anyone'' to normalise relations between India and Pakistan.

Dr Singh was answering a query on his response to Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf's recently-offered four-point formula for a solution to the Jammu&Kashmir issue, envisaging a Kashmir with the same borders but allowing free movement of people in the region, self-governance or autonomy, but not independence, withdrawal of troops in a staggered manner and a joint supervision mechanism with representation of India, Pakistan and Kashmir, to be set up.

''I have always believed that the destiny of South Asia is linked and therefore, I give priority to normalising our relations with Pakistan and solving all outstanding issues between our two countries and that also includes the issue of Jammu and Kashmir,'' he told mediapersons, accompanying him on his four-day trip to Japan, but avoided a specific response to Gen Musharraf's proposal.

''If anytime new ideas come, we welcome them and I would like to say that in the last two-and-a-half years, we have had a very intensive dialogue with Pakistan,'' Dr Singh added.

UNI

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