Musharraf makes bold on Kashmir

How much of Pakistan Musharraf carries with him, more precisely, how much of the army is with him when he speaks of independence of Kashmir as one of the options? It is conceivable that he has had consultations with his inner circles by virtue of which he said things that were never uttered before. For, it could even rock his political boat into a virtual capsize. He probably has been assured of a reasonable degree of support from the army.

In moving away from the decades-old position that had almost become a synonym for Pakistan nationalism Musharraf has shown a rare forward-looking flair. It is a new tryst with history the Pakistan President wants made along with India to write a new chapter of peace for the South Asia region. But what is crucially important is that all manner of Kashmiri leadership must be taken on board, so that the Kashmiris become the final arbiter of their destiny.

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Can Musharraf deliver on his proposals that have already come under fire from the opposition leadership in Pakistan, mostly on the ground that they needed to be consulted before he spelt out the options to India?

India, the chief stakeholder on the other side, has reacted to Musharraf's latest overture saying the Pak president had better put it on the table. Let it be a part of the ongoing composite talks between the two countries, the New Delhi spokesman added. We will urge India not to take a cursory view of the new opportunity on Kashmir. Let her build on Musharraf's bold new initiative.