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A delegation of Indo-Pakistani soldiers' initiative for peace, comprising retired Indian armed forces personnel, which came back from Lahore last evening, met the Pakistan chief executive, General Pervez Musharraf, in lslamabad and conveyed India's concern on continuing violence in Jamrnu and Kashmir.
"Our meeting with Gen Musharraf was very cordial and he never uttered the word Kashmir," said a former chief of naval staff, Admiral (retd) L Ramdas, who led the delegation to Pakistan.
"It seemed Pakistan is very keen on resumption of dialogue and is waiting for India's permission to a Hurriyat delegation to visit Islamabad,"3 he said and quoted Gen Musharraf to say: 'It should not need an earthquake or natural calamities to bring our two countries together.
Gen Musharraf also stressed on the need to strengthen the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and develop a forum to foster economic development in South Asia.
"Prime Minister Vajpayee's extension of the cease-fire is well received in Pakistan, but the leadership also feels it should be accompanied by concrete steps to make the peace process move forward," Adm Ramdas said.
Bilateral relations reached hit a low in the wake of the Kargil conflict in 1999 and India has since been insisting that dialogue could be resumed only after Islamabad stopped aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism.
"There is also a general feeling there that it is violence that is keeping the Kashmir issue in focus," said Lieutenant General (retd) Moti Dhar, a former vice-chief of Army staff.
The 20-member delegation including noted Gandhian, Ms Nirmala Deshpande, IPSI's India chapter president, Vice-Admiral (retd) lnder Bedi, Air Marshal (retd) Kuldip Rai and Lt Gen (retd) M M Walia, besides wives of many of these personnel.
They met academics, journalists, security analysts and Kashmiri separatist leaders during the week-long visit to Pakistan.
Briefing on the "free and frank" discussions with a former president of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, Air Marshal Rai said the separatist leader favoured an "Intra-Kashmir" dialogue involving leaders from both sides of LoC to precede any official level talks.
Adm Ramdas said Gen Musharraf also regretted the snapping of sporting ties between the two countries that led to the cancellation of the scheduled tour of the Indian cricket team to Pakistan early this year.
'I had asked for a grand reception of the team and I would have been personally involved in welcoming the Indian team,' Adm Ramdas quoted Gen Musharraf as saying during the 1-hour meeting the delegation had with him in lslamabad on February 27.
The delegation members also felt that the visa restrictions between the two countries needed to be relaxed to foster people-to-people contact, which could create a congenial atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Gen Musharraf is said to be contemplating becoming the president- dent to legitimise his rule and also to ensure that leaders like Ms Benazir Bhutto and Mr Nawaz Sharif remain in political wilderness for years to come.
The General, who is to retire this October, "is readying to don the mantle of the president of Pakistan" most probably before his term expires, an article in lslamabad's Fridav Times said.
"One argument given in favour of Musharraf's imminent election as president is that this is how the Army would better ensure continuity of the most vital policies pursued by the present regime. This is how... Gen Musharraf could ensure that Bhutto and Sharif remain in political wilderness for years to come," it said.
Should Gen Musharraf become the president, "he would have traversed a much-trodden path in Pakistan's sad history during which the presidency has housed all sorts of conspirators (Iskander Mirza, Ghularn lshaq Khan), usurpers (Generals Ayub, Yahya, Zia), stooges (Chaudhry Fazal Elahl, Rafiq Tarar) and misfits (Farooq Leghari)," said a prominent journalist, Mr Najarn Sethi, in an editorial in the paper.
"The simplest way would be for him to follow the footsteps of Caesar, Napoleon or Attaturk - having seized the crown, he could simply put it on his head, change his tunic and announce 1'etat, cest moi (Alas! Times have changed)," wrote Mr Sethi.
He said the defunct Parliament could be revived "sooner or later, for better or for worse, to hand him his crown, create dubious conditions for reinvesting itself and call ita day. But that is easier said than done."
The tenure of Pakistan's suspended National Assembly comes to an end on February 2 next year. Five general elections have been held since the revival of the 1973 Constitution in 1985. But none of the assemblies have been able to complete their 5-year terms.
Quoting political observers, the Fridav Times said by restoring the assemblies the regime could hope to put an end to the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, whose major components were the Pakistan People's Party of Ms Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League led by Mr Sharif.
lt quoted legal experts as saying
Gen Musharraf had various other options to prolong his rule, including
the Supreme Court's decision to validate the military regime and
authorising the chief executive to keep the office for 3 years.
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