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Pragmatism, flexibility needed: Musharraf

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Sept. 5. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has said that if there is "pragmatism and flexibility" on the part of India and Pakistan, a solution to the Kashmir problem acceptable to both sides could be worked out. Participating in the newly-launched BBC Pakistan question time, to be telecast on Friday night, Gen. Musharraf reiterated that there was no point in getting into a discussion on solutions before taking the steps he had enumerated at the Agra Summit with the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

``Our stand is, let us first start talking. When I went to Agra, the Indian Prime Minister asked me what is the way forward. I said there are four steps to it. Number one step is to start talking. Number two is to accept that Kashmir is a dispute because of which we have fought a numbers of wars. Number three is to eliminate whatever is unacceptable to you and us. And number four is to move towards the solution," he told a questioner.

Asked how flexible he is on the issue, Gen. Musharraf said that "I can say one needs to be flexible. In discussions, there are a numbers of solutions have come up and needs to analyse each."

To a question, he said his decision to shake hands with Mr. Vajpayee at the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu was `impulsive'. He agreed with a questioner that it was not justified for poor countries such as India and Pakistan to spend so much money on defence but blamed the situation on India.

Asked if the strong support for American foreign policy affected Pakistan's close relations with China, Gen. Musharraf said that "not at all. We interact with China very closely. When I went to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka recently on my way back I went to China because I went to Sri Lank via China. Our relations are very clear, deeper than the ocean and higher than the mountain." Gen. Musharraf defended his controversial constitutional amendments and the decision not to allow the two former Prime Ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to participate in the polls.

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