NEW DELHI, April 16: President Gen Pervez Musharraf, arriving in India on a three-day visit on Saturday, said he had brought a message of peace and solidarity between the two countries, but also cautioned that the issue of Kashmir could not be brushed under the carpet any more.

“To my mind in this 21st century the period of conflict management is over. I think we have entered a period of conflict resolution. Brushing them under the carpet is not possible any more,” Gen Musharraf said at a dinner hosted by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“For permanent peace and permanent harmony, we have to resolve the dispute. There is no alternative,” he said.

Earlier, in Ajmer, President Musharraf spoke to reporters after offering prayers at the shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA). “I have come from Pakistan with a message of peace and solidarity,” he said.

In his speech on the occasion, Dr Singh said it was not anyone’s endeavour to rewrite the history between the two countries. He said it was India’s effort to resolve issues that obstructed the flow of the creative energies of the two peoples.

Dr Singh’s vision of ties with Pakistan was spelt out by Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran at a press briefing.

“The prime minister’s vision of a world is one where borders look less and less relevant. That is what we are looking at our future relations with all our neighbours,” Mr Saran said, adding that he (the PM) envisaged a free movement of people and a response to common problems, including environmental issues.

“There have been positive statements from President Musharraf on the eve of his visit, which augurs well for the talks.” Mr Saran was referring to Gen Musharraf’s view expressed in Islamabad that a solution to the Kashmir dispute could not be rushed through.

Gen Musharraf later told Indian Foreign Minister Kunwar Natwar Singh that he had come to Delhi with ‘an open mind’.

Mr Saran described Gen Musharraf as a very honoured guest of India and said Dr Singh looked forward to a friendly and successful visit for both countries. India looked forward to a constructive and forward-looking dialogue with Gen Musharraf, he said.

The visit, he said, was taking place after one-and-a-half years of intense dialogue process. There was a vastly improved atmosphere and unprecedented people-to-people contact. He said this would be further boosted when the two countries reopened their consulates in Mumbai and Karachi soon.

Asked to define what India meant by ‘thinking out-of-the box’ on Kashmir, the foreign secretary said it was a reference to a relationship in which borders became less and less important.

He declined to comment on a question about Pakistan’s proposed purchase of F-16s from the United States, but emphasized that Washington “feels very optimistic about the India-Pakistan peace process.”

Asked if the Baglihar dam issue would be discussed between Gen Musharraf and Prime Minister Singh, he said India had given repeated assurances to Pakistan that it would not do anything to violate the Indus Waters Treaty “which has stood the test of time”.

A joint statement was likely after the summit talks on Sunday, but its contents would be determined by the tone and the tenor of the engagement. India had no objection to Gen Musharraf meeting leaders of Kashmir resistance, including a four-member delegation of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq scheduled to meet him on Sunday.

Mr Saran denied that India was following a policy of going slow on the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

“If you look at Jammu and Kashmir, it is such a complex issue. It has been hanging fire for 57 years,” he said. “It stands to reason that to address this issue you need to build a degree of trust and confidence.” That done, the trust would help extend the constituency for peace in both countries, he said and added: “No. We are not putting the issue of Kashmir aside.”

AFP adds: “We look forward to a time when there will be much freer traffic ... across the Line of Control,” Mr Saran said.

During the peace process, India has set out 72 confidence-building measures.

“We hope agreements are reached on all the CBMs we have put forward,” he said. Among the measures India wants to boost people-to-people contacts are new bus services between Kargil and Poonch to Skardu and other points in Pakistan. It is also seeking joint promotion of tourism and more cultural contacts.