General Harangue

A number of foreign journalistsincluding those of India attended the news conference held at the LiaquatNational Library auditorium. The two-hour news conference was telecast live andwas viewed in India, Europe and America via Prime television.

The general continued his PR media-blitz and saidhe wanted to pose the same questions to the people of India, Pakistan andKashmir as he had raised in his infamous breakfast meet with Indian senioreditors.

To wit: Kashmir is not only the centrality of the problem (with lots of barbsand mock deference --"I shan't call it 'dispute'" -- but also that the issue can not be resolvedwithout the involvement of the people of Kashmir. That therewould be no forward movement in the peace process if India clung to its standthat the state was its integral part ('atoot ang").

The good General blew hot and cold. He was lavish in thanking every one -- fromthe President through the Prime Minister to the Protocol Officer (even 'HisExcellency' Digvijay Singh and the sundry hotel bell-boys and such) who looked after him and hisentourage during their stay in India -- but the home minister. About whose rolehe coyly refused to speculate or conjecture.

He said at one point that the press conference was dedicated to the people ofIndia, Pakistan and Kashmir so that they could judge for themselves the outcomeof the Agra summit.

Emptyhanded but Not Disappointed

"I return empty-handed, but not disappointed. I resolve to carry forwardthe initiative that has been taken and Inshahallah the process willcontinue."

"I would like to say that in my interaction, we had four one-on-onemeetings and it comes to around five to six hours and these were mostly (90 percent) focussed on Kashmir."

"It was a good beginning and Insha Allah(God willing) the process will continue," he said. He added it was a"pity that twice mututally agreed draft" could not be inked by him andVajpayee.

"However, I do understand that it is not atime for recrimination or throwing blame at each other," Musharraf said. Hesaid the summit was a "historic oppportunity" for both him andVajpayee to create history.

Not A Football Match

"I did not go to India for point scoring. It is not a football match wherewe score goals against each other. ... It is too serious a business (where)future of two countries is involved."

"It’s also not a question of whowon and who lost. Let justice and truth prevail," he urged, adding: "Thelosers and winners, instead, would be the people of both thecountries."  

Hoping that both Vajpayee and External AffairsMinister Jaswant Singh would "honour us with their visit," Musharrafsaid he had gone to the summit in a "very sincere search for peace"and wanted to "close the chapter of hostility, mistrust and suspicion"between the two countries.

The Voice Of Reason

"Ourultimate goal is the full normalization of relations with India" 

"Onefifth poverty-stricken humanity yearns for peace," he said, adding, the othergoals of trade and economic relations, cultural exchanges etc could follow, oncepeace was given a chance to succeed.

 "Ithought, we (both countries) have done enough to harm each other,"  hesaid, adding, it was time that "hard realities are accepted and diplomacyor indulgence in mere jugglery of words is avoided, for it served nopurpose. 

"Kashmir,is a dispute and not a problem. A dispute is between two parties. But "I’m not certainly being unifocal, narrow-minded, rigid or segmented in myapproach." 

 Afterall, he's a soldier and can not be a diplomat likehis Foreign Minister or Foreign Secretary, he said.

"I am only trying to lay focus at where it belongs. I amagain just laying the proper focus".

But he also asserted that he wasnot saying that there was no other issues that bedevilled Indo-Pak relations. Ofcourse, the other issues cannot becompared to the Kashmir issue. Who would argue with that? Who's comparing?

"We need to keep correct focus on Kashmirissue while going along on all other issues," he said adding that "It is nottrue that we just want a solution of the Kashmir issue. Therehas to be simultaneity and a tandem approach".

He made it clear that he had never said he wouldnot not discuss other issues. He saidthere was no denying that there were other issues confronting Pakistan andIndia, such as, Siachen, strife within Kashmir, Sir Creek, strategic and nuclearrestraint, Wuller or Tulbul barrage, economic relations, Jinnah House in Bombayand POWs, fishermen etc. "But,  canyou compare these issues with the issue of Kashmir?"

And who would argue with that either? 

I leave it to the judgement of thepeople of India and Pakistan and the mediamen to see for themselves as to whichissue is more significant to be addressed first and foremost." 

"Cross-border terrorism"? Ah, didn't we hear the PakistanForeign Minister's exercise in semantics about the LoC? And don't we knowdespite the nauseatingly repeated references that there is an indigenous"freedom struggle"in J&K?

Advani conspicuous by absence among thosethanked

Musharraf began by expressing gratitude toPresident K R Narayanan, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, External AffairsMinister Jaswant Singh, Minister of State for Railways (whom he called HisExcellency) Digvijay Singh, who was Minister-in Waiting for him, and the peopleof India for the hospitality and arrangements made for Pakistan's First Couple.

Musharraf also expressed gratitude to the wife ofIndian High Commisioner to Pakistan Vijay Nambiar for "taking goodcare" of his wife and Protocol Officer Manbir Singh.

"I express my gratitude to the people ofIndia for the hospitality extended to us during our visit there. I also expressgratitude to the Government of India for the wonderful manner everything wasarranged and conducted," the Pakistani president said.

"I also have deepest gratitude for PresidentNarayanan for his hospitality, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh for hispragmatism and open-mindedness," he said.

"Above all, I express deepest respect forPrime Minister Vajpayee for his boldness, courage and statesmanship."  

The Breakfast Meeting

At the outset, he referred to the reportedcontroversy over his breakfast meeting with Indian Editors at Agra, saying sucha thing was "really surprising in this age of information." He alsopointed out that the summit was the "biggest media event." 

It was a responsible and matureinteraction with luminaries of India, he said, and added he had said nothingbeyond Pakistan’s known stand on Kashmir, though in a forceful manner. He said it was not understandable as to why exception was taken to it.

Heoffered to reciprocate the same to Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh, saying he'dlike  to personally take them to Pakistanimedia whenever they visit Pakistan, and stay away personally.

Praising the Indian media for their openness andbroadmindedness, he said his interaction with them was very useful.

The press conference was a virtual repeat of hiscontroversial breakfast meeting with Indian editors in Agra where he repeatedlyemphasised that Kashmir was the root cause of conflicts between India andPakistan and needed to be addressed first. Other issues could be taken up intandem and simultaneously, he said.

Asking the people and media of the two countries to strengthen the hands ofmoderates, he said both Vajpayee and himself tried their best to reach asettlement and twice they had almost reached an agreement in Agra. The effortsmust be carried forward, he added.

He said peace is possible if intentions of bothcountries are sincere. As long as "dil mein koi khoT naa ho" (as longas there is no insincerity in the heart")

Expressing the hope that Vajpayee and ExternalAffairs Minister Jaswant Singh would visit Pakistan before the likely meetingbetween Vajpayee and him in New York, Musharraf said Kashmir is the focus of theproblem. "Let's get to the root and heart of the problem." He saidthat twice he and Vajpayee were very close to an agreement during the summit."We were so close and ended up so far. It saddened me."

"We have made a good beginning and resolvedthat the process will continue," he said adding "I want to close thechapter of hostility, suspicion and mistrust." He said vastmajority of people on both sides wanted resolution of the problem and peace inthe sub-continent except for extremists who could be ignored.

Three Questions

He said he wanted to put threequestions to "the people of Pakistan, India and Kashmir: 

• "Do we genuinely want peace and beginning of a new era?" "I can very confidently say that overwhelming answer to my this question will be yes."  
• "Can peace could be brought to South Asian region without settlement of Kashmir dispute? "My answer is certainly not and never." 
• "Whether solution to Kashmir issue could be found without involvement of the Kashmiri people? "No, we cannot reach solution without them."

Step By Step

Repeating his outline for a step by step approach at the Editors' meet for carryingforward the negotiation process, he said the first step was already taken by thePrime Minister by inviting him to Agra but they were now stuck at step two --recognition of Kashmir as dispute.

He said the third step could be anelimination process by which what was not not acceptable in both countries couldbe avoided to be followed by the fourth step of a focus on some kind of asolution.

Asked what was the formula, he said it has to beworked out for which there was a need for a structure. However, he said he didnot not have any time-frame for this complex issue.

Excerpts from the press conference:

Were the talks sabotaged by Indian Hawks?

When asked if Indian hawks were responsible forthe failure to reach a de"There are doves, hawks and those choosing themiddle ground on both sides. If we did not sign (the joint declaration), thecost will be that extremists on both sides will be encouraged, which would be anegative fallout. But if we go forward, it can be contained," Musharrafsaid.

He said that a vast majority was forpeace and reduction of tension. "The most electrifying yearning everywhere,among people and the media, is the desire for peace, amity and development,"he said. So, he stated, when the Joint Declaration was not signed,disappointment was writ large on the faces of the people of both thecountries.  "They all had long faces, everyone, even thebell-boys in the hotel."

He referred to an opinion poll in India whichapparently had reflected that around 78% of the Indians polled identifiedKashmir as the main obstacle in the normalisation of relations between India andPakistan but said that he was optimistic about the future with planned futuremeetings and invitations to Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh. 

Will the caravan of peace pick up threads fromAgra? Or Lahore and Shimla?

He said he would not not mind starting from anybase -- whether Shimla accord or Lahore Declaration -- as long as Kashmir wasaddressed. However, he said, both the accords did not not address Kashmir andthat was why they did not move forward.

He said that both the sides reacheda substantive progress at Agra and hoped the next meeting would pick up thethreads from there. 

"Let’s not get bogged down,whether it is Simla, Lahore delcaration or UN resolutions of 1948, because thepast accord/declaration had not realized the centrality of Kashmir. We can makea beginning from anywhere."

Did he want to address a press conference inIndia before leaving? Did the Indians prevent him from having one? Didthe Indian rigidity mean one more war to resolve the Kashmir dispute is nowinevitable?

"Yes, I wanted to address a press conferencebut I don't know what the compulsions of the Indian government were in notallowing it. Beyond that I do not want to say anything on this issue."

About another war, he said we should keep in mindthat both sides are now nuclear and there is a need for acting with greaterresponsibility. He said he was optimistic that a solution could emerge out oftalks as long as both the sides approached each other with sincerity and lettruth and justice prevail.

On threats by Lashker-e-Toiba and Al Badr tospread their activities beyond Kashmir after the failure of the Agra summit.

"We are certainly against anybody trying todisturb peace in India or carrying out any terrorist act to disturb peace forthat matter anywhere in the world," Musharraf said. He said, "Wereject it, we deplore it" but, however, refused to accept presence ofmilitancy in Kashmir, saying it was a "freedom struggle" and addedthat Pakistanis were "emotionally involved" in it.

He again said that in Kashmir it is an indigenous"freedom movement" of over a decade and that it (presumably he wasreferring to terrorism' or an indigenous 'freedom struggle' by Pakistani basedand backed groups led by not Kashmiris but Pakistanis) is a symptom and not thecause. You treat the root and it would go away.

He likened it to a tree. "You pluck awaysome leaves, but new leaves will grow. You have to root out the treeitself"

Now that a war-specialist had returned 'empty-hnaded'isn't it time for third-party mediation?

"Someone who's fought wars knows the meaningof peace more than anybody else. I am very qualified on the subject of peacebecause I have fought in wars and seen people die in my own arms".

He said if Shimla and Lahore had failed todeliver peace, "it does not mean we should reject them, but we must thinkwhy they failed."

"We are big, responsible and understandingstates. It is best to solve our disputes mutually," he said. He, however,added that outside mediation could be required only when "we have noself-confidence to resolve our issues" and fail to "displayresponsibility".

Musharraf said Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee and himself during their Agra summit had tried their best to reach anunderstanding on a joint draft declaration.

"During my talks with the Prime Minister, Isaw his openness and understanding of the disputes. I am optimistic that hewants the peace process to go on"

On Vajpayee's Recent Statement That ThereCannot Be a Change From India's 'Basic Stand' On Kashmir:

He refused to comment on it saying he did notknow in what context Vajpayee had said what, but expressed "deepest respectfor Prime Minister Vajpayee for his boldness, courage and statesmanship."

He said he was optimistic that with"sincerity, open-mindedness and understanding, a mutually acceptablesoulution could be arrived at." He said he was confident that if thepremise of sincere intentions was fulfilled, everything else would follow.

On lessons from Agra: was there a need forpreparations in the form of an agenda and the principle parties not to talk tothe press during the summit.

To the question about preparations for futuretalks, he said India and Pakistan need to address the realities and hardly anypreparations are required if there is a desire to resolve real issues.

I do not believe in protocols. The basicrequirement, he added, is that "truth and justice must prevail". Thereshould be a "desire, an urge to address realities. We all understand thereality. So what is preparation required for?"

"Preparations may be required if wewant to juggle around instead of catching the bull by the horn," he said. Ihave been called a blunt man but I do not want to be called that. If we are notinterested in side-stepping the issue, there is no need for any preparation.

What is required in the end is 2-3 pages ofEnglish composition, which, he said, he could do in half an hour.

About the second part of the question, he said hewas 'surprised' at the controversy generated over his breakfast meeting withsenior Indian editors during the Agra summit and rejected suggestions that itwas one of the reasons for the deadlock.

"The controversy over the breakfast meetingsurprised me, especially in the information age"

"What wrong did I do? Misunderstandings haveresulted from It. This was an innocent interaction. I feel sad," he said."What did I say that I didn't say before the summit or after it? What haveI said what I haven't told you?

Maintaining that the breakfast meet on Monday wasextremely useful and held in an atmosphere of openness, Musharraf said he wouldbe too happy to reciprocate the opportunity when Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh visit Pakistan.

"I shall take the Indian Prime Minister andthe Foreign Minister personally in front of the Pakistani media when they cometo Islamabad," he said.

In the face of wide gap in perception betweenthe two countries, on Kashmir and Cross-border terrorism, could a solution befound with national honour intact on both sides?

No wide gap exists between the two countries, hesaid, adding that the gap has in fact narrowed by this meeting. "If bynational honour we mean that Kashmir cannot be debated and discussed then wecannot move forward."

On the subject of cross-border terrorism:"there is no terrorism beyond the (international) border. As regards,cross-LoC, there is no terrorism. I would like to differ. It is freedom struggleand indigenous movement." He continued with his harangue on the"indigenous freedom struggle" and said Kashmiris were facing miseriesand "unncessary lives of Kashmiris" were being lost there. For thatmatter, he also added that "unncessary lives" of Indian soldierswere also being lost.