President Pervez Musharraf has said that both Pakistan and India should ‘‘leave behind’’ their stated positions on Kashmir and focus on the future. ‘‘We always say what is happening in Kashmir is a struggle for freedom — but let us leave that behind. Whenever anyone asks me now, while rapprochement with India is going on, (I say) let’s not talk of crossborder terrorism, let’s leave that behind and focus on the future,’’ he told The Washington Post from Davos, Switzerland. ‘‘We have been playing this blame game in the past but let’s leave it in the past,’’ he said. Musharraf said that he had never said anywhere that ‘‘we need to have a Kashmir agreement before anything else.’’ ‘‘I have always maintained that we should move simultaneously on all issues. The problem before was that Kashmir was never included. Now there is a change. For the first time, the joint statement (issued by India and Pakistan in Islamabad) recognises Kashmir is a dispute to be resolved. It recognises that Pakistan is a party to the dispute. So, this is the source of my optimism.’’ Asked to clarify on Pakistan’s position on plebiscite in Kashmir, Musharraf said: ‘‘No unilateral action can be taken. I have been saying that we must go beyond stated positions and show flexibility. But it can’t be done unilaterally by Pakistan. So, there is reciprocity involved.’’ Asked how he will persuade India that he will not allow Pakistani territory to be used by ‘‘jehadi’’ groups to cross the LoC, Musharraf said: ‘‘I never said we crossed the LoC. Let’s close this chapter.’’ He also noted that after his meeting with Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, confidence-building measures are going on. ‘‘The two foreign offices are interacting to decide on the venue, the date and the level of the contact.’’
