NEW DELHI, April 18: President Gen Pervez Musharraf declared here on Monday that his visit to India was ‘very successful’ and beyond his expectations. Talking to Pakistani journalists who accompanied him during the visit, the president said that in his meetings with Indian leaders, all issues between the two countries, including Kashmir, Baglihar dam, bus service and trade and commerce were discussed in the spirit of sincerity and flexibility. He found the attitude of the Indian leadership positive and the outcome of the talks had been better than what he had expected.

He said that they had decided to take the peace process forward, to the final resolution of the Kashmir issue.

He said Kashmir was a complicated issue and needed a balanced approach and understanding. When his attention was drawn to a statement by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the boundaries could not be redrawn, the president said Mr Singh had agreed that the LoC could not be accepted as a final solution.

Responding to a question about his Sunday night’s meetings with delegations of Kashmiri leaders, including Ali Gilani, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq at the Pakistan House, the president said it was a complicated issue and its solution could be found only by people trusted by the Kashmiris. He pointed to the disunity among Kashmiri leaders and said that all efforts should be made to end their differences. He said that the Kashmir issue could not be resolved through a rigid approach. There could be two ways of holding trilateral talks if the three were not prepared to sit together and sort out the issue.

If one party, he said, was not prepared to come to the table, the only way to proceed was not intransigence, but to hold talks with the other party and then consult the first party. At a later stage, a time would come when they all would sit and decide the issue, he added.

The president gave assurance that the Kashmir issue could not be resolved without the inclusion of the Kashmiris and at one stage, they would have to be invited so that a durable solution could be found.

Answering a question, he said a proposal to increase the frequency of bus service and to open new routes was also discussed to facilitate the people on both sides of the divide who were keen to meet each other. He said if Rawalakot, Poonch and Rajori routes were opened, the travel time would be reduced.

He said that ‘soft border’ was not a solution but a matter of facilitation. He said efforts were being made to promote peace and harmony, withdraw army from the held Kashmir, and provide relief to the Kashmiris.

Regarding expansion of trade and commerce between the two countries, he said that in all matters economic interests of the country would be protected. He said giving the MFN status to each other would be irrelevant if tariffs remained high. The president said India claimed to have given the MFN status to Pakistan, but maintained high tariffs, and as a result comparatively cheap Pakistani bed-linen could not be exported to India.

He said Mr Manmohan Singh would be visiting Pakistan in a few months. The president also disclosed that he had taken up the issue of opening the Indian consulate in Karachi and Pakistani consulate in Bombay. India, he said, had offered two buildings for the purpose in Bombay.

He said he had asked the Indian prime minister to hand over the Jinnah House in Bombay to Pakistan where “we would like to open a museum” and keep the building in good shape.

He said that he had asked Mr Lal Kishan Advani to support the peace process, which had been initiated by his government, and he said that they were not against it, and fully backed it. However, in Pakistan, the president said, the situation was different because the opposition did not keep the national interest above the party stand.