Islamabad, Pakistan
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf surprised India and his own country this week with a proposal to divide the disputed province of Kashmir into several parts. He told reporters that the two sides should consider making some areas of Kashmir independent, while others could fall under joint Indian-Pakistani control or U.N. administration. “Identify the regions, demilitarize them, and change their status,” Musharraf said. “It is food for thought.” The Pakistani opposition immediately rejected the proposal, saying it conceded far too much to India. The Indian government, for its part, refused to comment, saying that proposals about Kashmir should be made at the negotiating table, not floated in the media.
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