ISLAMABAD, May 31 (Agencies): Commencing his visit to Pakistan after nearly 25 years, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani today held talks with President Pervez Musharraf after which he said both of them were convinced that a solution to Kashmir and other contentious issues would "definitely" be reached.
Advani, who earlier held talks with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, said during his hour-long meeting with Musharraf they agreed that the peace process should be made irreversible and "must be taken to its fruition." "Solution nikalega, zaroor nikalega" (the solution will arrive, it certainly will arrive) and we both said in almost in unison," Advani told reporters after his talks with Musharraf at his Rawalpindi residence.
The two leaders broadly discussed about the future of the peace process and where it would be heading from now on.
Advani said he asked the President what would be the next phase of the peace process and Musharraf responded "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and I developed a good understanding.
The objective is clear.
But the end solution is not clear to us.
A lot of preparatory work with a focussed approach is needed." Musharraf said he looked forward to meeting Prime Minister Singh on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN General Assembly in September this year.
The BJP Chief said both leaders agreed that the peace process should be made irreversible and the process of dialogue on all issues should continue in an atmosphere of mutual trust and free of violence and taken to its "fruition".
While Musharraf told Advani that the "peace process has now been taken over by the people of the two countries," the former Deputy Prime Minister responded by saying "we can no longer say let us give peace an option.
The truth is that peace is the only option." Advani said Musharraf observed that "fauziyon ko sirf jang karni he nahi aati (military men knew other things besides fighting war).
Significantly on Kashmir, Advani told Musharraf that he too wants a solution to the issue which is acceptable to everyone including all the diverse communities in the state and all sections of opinion within Kashmir like the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and migrant Kashmiri pandits.
"Jammu and Kashmir is very diverse and any eventual solution to the issue will have to acceptable to all the diverse communities in the state and all sections of opinion within Kashmir," Advani said.
The Pakistan President also disclosed to Advani that he had ordered the railway authorities to complete work on the broad gauging of the rail link between Khokhrapar (in Sindh) and Munnabao (in Rajastan) by December.
He also concurred with Advani's suggestion that the sea link between Karachi and Mumbai should be restarted.
Accompanied by his wife Kamala and daughter Pratibha, Advani kickstarted his week-long "nostalgic" tour of Pakistan yesterday.
The former Deputy Prime Minister, who is on his first visit to Pakistan in 27 years, will also travel to Karachi where he was born.
During the meeting, Musharraf said people in Northern Areas under Pakistan control were demanding a bus route between Northern Areas and Kargil, Advani said.
The BJP chief, who represents Gujarat in Lok Sabha, also took up the issue of frequent harassment and arrest of Indian fishermen by the Pakistani authorities and Musharraf asked his officials to look into the matter and ensure that boats confiscated from them are released.
Before meeting the President, Advani had a 40-minute-long meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during which both the leaders agreed that the progress on all fronts should be in tandem with progress on Kashmir.
He also called on Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurishid Mehmood Kasuri and Chairman of the Senate Mia Muhammad Sumroo.
"The Prime Minister told me that all these issues have to be sorted out and resolved in tandem and I agree with that", he said.
Taking to reporters after meeting Musharraf, Advani stressed on the significance of consensus cutting across party lines in India in favour of India-Pak peace process which he said was initiated by the then Vajpayee government in January 2004.
"Despite relations between the government and the opposition not at their best, I thought it is my duty to respond (to the invitation to visit Pakistan) in pursuance of approach initiated by Vajpayee government and being pursued as vigorously by the present government," he said.
"So as far as wanting to normalise the ties are concerned, it is the desire of the entire people of India cutting across all the party lines," he said.
