We need to show boldness: Musharraf

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, JULY 14. ``So near, yet so far!,'' proclaimed Gen. Pervez Musharraf as he sat down to address a group of intellectuals on the state of Indo-Pak. relations at the residence of the Pakistan High Commissioner, Mr. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, this evening.

Regretting the failure of India and Pakistan to build a cooperative relationship in the last five decades, Gen. Musharraf talked of his hopes for a ``breakthrough'' in the talks with the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, at Agra tomorrow.

Listening attentively were two former Prime Ministers, Mr. V.P. Singh and Mr. Inder Kumar Gujral, as well as a few retired Generals, former diplomats, academics and journalists.

Asked if a breakthrough could be engineered in the talks, Gen. Musharraf said both Mr. Vajpayee and himself ``enjoy a certain political flexibility'' in their ability to deal with the issues at hand.

Saying there was enough room for manoeuvre, Gen. Musharraf declared ``we need to show the boldness'' to utilise that political space.

Praising Mr. Vajpayee for his bold and courageous step in inviting him to India, he talked of the potential for a breakthrough in bilateral relations.

The first step, he said, was the initiation of the present dialogue. This must be followed by a recognition of Kashmir as the central issue, and the creation of a structure to negotiate a solution within a reasonable time-frame.

Gen. Musharraf appeared relaxed and his aides said he was certainly enjoying his trip to a city he had left behind as a child 54 years ago. He conversed fluently in English, occasionally lapsing into Urdu.

Gen. Musharraf was critical of the media for misrepresenting many of his positions. He insisted that he never said progress on other issues was not possible until the Kashmir issue was resolved.

He reiterated the view that Kashmir dispute was central to bilateral relations, but suggested there could be simultaneous progress on Kashmir and other problems. ``Let us move on all issues in tandem,'' he declared.

Asked about India's concerns about cross-border terrorism, Gen. Musharraf said progress in the talks on Kashmir would have an ``indirect effect'' on the militancy in the State.

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