Pakistan President opposed to independence for Kashmir

INDIA: Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf said he was opposed to independence for Kashmir, but both India and Pakistan will have to compromise over the disputed territory, in an interview made available Monday.

The Himalayan region is claimed by Islamabad and New Delhi and has triggered two of the three wars between the rivals since 1947.

"Yes, we are against independence" for Kashmir, Musharraf told the Indian NDTV news channel in an interview, excerpts of which were made available to the media on Monday.

Musharraf said both India and Pakistan would have to make compromises and be prepared to give up the positions they had held on Kashmir for almost six decades.

In an earlier interview to another Indian news channel CNN-IBN in January, Musharraf had proposed self governance for Kashmir - held in part by India and Pakistan.

In the CNN-IBN interview, Musharraf had defined self-governance as "falling between autonomy and independence" the details of which would have be worked out jointly "by India, Pakistan and Kashmiris."

NEW DELHI, Tuesday, AFP