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Pakistan Proposes “Action Plan” to Resolve Kashmir Dispute With India By Mike Nartker During a press conference yesterday at U.N. headquarters in New York, Musharraf outlined his plan to resolve the issue of Kashmir, which he described as the “core dispute” between the two South Asian rivals. Musharraf’s plan includes a cease-fire on the Line of Control dividing the province; Pakistani aid in facilitating a cease-fire between the Islamic militant groups operating in the Indian side of Kashmir and New Delhi along with pledges by India to cease military action in the province; and the enlargement of the U.N. force currently deployed on the Line of Control. Musharraf said yesterday that he was unsure if India would accept his proposal, which he hoped would begin a dialogue between India and Pakistan. “I only can hope optimistically that good sense prevails, and they come forward, and we sit down and talk and move towards resolution of disputes to the benefit of not only the people of India and Pakistan, but also … to the benefit of the whole region, the south Asian region,” Musharraf said. Musharraf also said he had asked U.S. President George W. Bush during a bilateral meeting yesterday for assistance in facilitating a dialogue between India and Pakistan. In addition, any such dialogue should also involve the people of Kashmir as well, Musharraf said. “It should be a trilateral dialogue, if possible, between Pakistan, India, and people of Kashmir, representatives of Kashmiris,” Musharraf said. “In any case, the solution that we are talking of has to be a solution which is acceptable to India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir,” he added. India has often accused Pakistan of providing support for cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, a charge Musharraf vigorously denied yesterday. “There is no government patronage or anything that is happening across the Line of Control,” Musharraf said. “And this is the guarantee that I gave to [Indian] Prime Minister [Atal Behari] Vajpayee, and it should suffice. And therefore, we need to start talking,” he added. Growing Military Imbalance In addition to his proposal to resolve the Kashmir dispute, Musharraf said yesterday that he had also proposed a restraint regime between India and Pakistan on conventional and unconventional weapons. A number of recent reports have indicated India’s interest in purchasing several types of conventional weapons systems, including ballistic missiles and missile interceptors (see GSN, Sept. 22). Israel has often been mentioned as a possible supplier of military equipment to India, which Musharraf said yesterday was a “cause of concern” to Pakistan (see GSN, Sept. 11). Musharraf said he discussed the growing imbalance between the Indian and Pakistani militaries during his meeting with Bush. The Pakistani newspaper DAWN reported today that Musharraf called yesterday for countries to restrain from supplying major military systems to India. “Those powers which desire peace, stability and security in South Asia and oppose the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction must review their decisions to offer such major strategic weapons systems to India. They must contribute to maintaining arms restraint and a military balance in South Asia,” the newspaper quoted Musharraf as saying. Musharraf yesterday pledged to maintain Pakistan’s strategy of deterrence, which includes the country’s nuclear arsenal, in the face of India’s arms purchases. “If we want to prevent war in South Asia between India and Pakistan, through the strategy of deterrence, we create a no-win situation for India. And that is how war is deterred. And we maintain that level. We will always maintain this deterrence level, for our own security,” he said. As part of that strategy, Musharraf indicated yesterday that he raised the issue of F-16 fighter purchases with Bush during their meeting. In the late 1980s, Pakistan paid for F-16s from the United States, but the planes were never delivered after the United States imposed sanctions on Pakistan for its nuclear weapons activities. While Bush has lifted the arms embargo to reward Pakistan for its assistance in the war on terrorism, there has been no indication that the F-16 sale will go forward. Aviation Week and Space Technology reported earlier this month that Pakistan has indicated an interest in purchase F-16s from Belgium, but such a sale would still require U.S. permission to proceed (see GSN, Sept. 3). The topic of U.S. military assistance to Pakistan also came up last week during a meeting of the U.S.-Pakistani Defense Consultative Group in Washington, according to a U.S. Defense Department press release. During the three-day meeting, U.S. and Pakistani officials began initial discussions on the military component of a $3 billion, five-year U.S. aid program to Pakistan that Bush and Musharraf announced during a meeting at Camp David in June (see GSN, June 24). The United States confirmed at last week’s meeting its commitment to provide information on the availability of new weapons “as soon as possible,” the Pentagon statement said. Bush has said, however, that the aid package will not include the sale of F-16s.
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