Need to reconcile positions: Singh: ‘No paper given to Musharraf’
NEW DELHI, Sept 24: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not given any written proposals on Kashmir to President Gen Pervez Musharraf, Indian news reports said on Sunday, pouring cold water on claims that the Indian leader had handed his Pakistani counterpart a ‘non-paper’ in Havana.
“Authoritative sources in the Manmohan Singh establishment have denied reports that Prime Minister handed over any ‘non-paper’ on Jammu and Kashmir to President Musharraf during their recent meeting in Havana,” the Hindu said.
A report attributed to Pakistani officials has been doing rounds that Dr Singh had presented a paper on resolving the Kashmir problem. Based on this report, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded that the document be made public.
The sources in the prime minister’s office told the Hindu that Dr Singh did not hand over any paper or non-paper to the Pakistani leaders.
However, the sources added that ‘papers’ were always being exchanged in the so-called ‘back channel’.
Quoting the statement issued after the two leaders met, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said it spoke of a joint search for ‘mutually acceptable options’ on all issues including Jammu and Kashmir. “Thereafter, President Musharraf and his Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri have publicly confirmed that Dr Singh has given a ‘non-paper’ to Pakistan, listing possible solutions to Kashmir.”
What were the options and was the Line of Control being made redundant? Or, was it proposed to revert to the pre-1953 Jammu and Kashmir status on self-rule as was reported by the Pakistani media, Mr Prasad asked.
APP adds: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India and Pakistan had to find ways and means to solve bilateral issues.
Dr Singh said the two countries had to find ways to reconcile their positions on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, considering that New Delhi has maintained that there could be no redrawing of borders and Islamabad has said it would not accept the Line of Control as permanent border.
“There has been trust deficit in our relations with Pakistan. But we cannot stand still,” Dr Singh told a press conference at Nainital at the conclusion of a conclave of chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, according to media reports pouring in here.
“I sincerely believe that our two countries have to find ways and means to get over the problems, that include terrorism,” Singh added.