India, Pakistan were close to solving Kashmir issue, claims new Pakistani book

The former Pakistan minister claimed that both sides had come close to solving the Kashmir issue because of the “all-out diplomatic efforts” by both countries.

New Delhi: India and Pakistan were close to solving the vexed Kashmir issue during the reign of President Pervez Musharraf, ex-Pakistani foreign minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri wrote in his new book unveiled on Sunday in Islamabad.

Titled “Neither a Hawk nor a Dove”, the book delved on the dialogue process that continued during the Musharraf regime for solving the Kashmir issue.

Kasuri claimed that both countries had come close to solving the Kashmir issue because of the “all-out diplomatic efforts” by both countries.

During Musharraf’s Agra visit, a four-point agenda was agreed upon which included withdrawal of troops along the LoC, greater autonomy to the Kashmir government and a method for joint Pakistan-India observation, the online edition of Pakistan's leading English daily Express Tribune quoted him as saying.

Other points that both sides agreed upon included free movement of Kashmiris for at least 15 years, turning the LoC into a neutral zone and permitting them to decide what to do next, he said.

Prominent people who attended the book launching ceremony included Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan, Sudheendra Kulkarni from India, Gauhar Ayub, Naeemul Haq, General (retd) Talat Masood and a large number of diplomats, retired army officers among others.

The panelists at the event also presented a number of suggestions for promoting Pakistan-India ties, the report said.