Issue of self-governance being mulled in Pak: Daily

ISLAMABAD, Nov 24 (UNI): Serious work is on within different organs of the government to fine-tune President Pervez Musharraf's proposal for "self-governance" in Kashmir, a Pakistani newspaper said today.

"It is not only the circles responsible for Kashmir that are working on the issue of self-governance but also the back-channel diplomacy meetings are discussing it so as to proceed with and come closer to the ultimate goal of giving people their right to self-determination," The News quoted an official as saying.

The source said the proposal for self-governance and demilitarisation of Kashmiris was last mentioned by President Musharraf in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (POK) following which it was being worked upon.

"By self-governance we mean that the people of Kashmir should get maximum autonomy ...

in fact more than autonomy like what they enjoyed in 1953." The reason I do not want to give you the exact details of what we are thinking of in this area would be the end of it ...

actually the kiss of death" said the official.

He added, "right now we are thinking of how we can proceed with it.

Let's discuss it with the Indians and see how far we can go in this area," said the official.

"We have an idea about the steps that should lead to self-governance.

We did not spell these steps out in the meeting between the Pakistan Prime Minister and Indian Prime Minister at the SAARC in Dhaka but it was mentioned at the meeting," the official maintained.

The official said the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) should be involved in the present dialogue with Pakistan and India besides having bilateral meetings with New Delhi and Islamabad so that ideas could be exchanged and the proposal of self-governance discussed, which could lead to complete autonomy.