Musharraf's approach to Kashmir was only acceptable point of view, says former R and AW chief

Former Research and Analysis Wing (Rand AW) chief AS Dulat has said that former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf's approach to the Kashmir issue was the only point of view acceptable.

In an interview with a Pakistani television network, Dulat recalled that Musharraf had said that whatever was acceptable to Kashmiris would be acceptable to Islamabad. The former Rand AW chief also lamented that Musharraf's point of view was not adopted by all parties involved, terming his formula of greater freedom for Kashmiris on both sides of the border as the best solution for the two countries.

When the interviewer, Ejaz Haider, asked Dulat about the lessons he learnt, the former Rand AW chief said that while intelligence agencies are paid to make the efforts, there is no consistency, He recalled that windows of opportunity in 2006 and 2007 were not used, adding that today, when he talks to his friends in Pakistan about what Musharraf had said, they dismiss him, with the prevalent view being that the former Pakistani president was on a 'solo flight'.

Dulat also revealed that the contact between Rand AW and the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the 2003-04 period was beneficial to both sides, revealing that the Indian agency had passed on information to their Pakistani counterparts, which helped in foiling an attack on Musharraf by banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad.

The former Rand AW chief also dismissed the recent Amnesty International report on Kashmir, pointing out that the people of the region were affected by Pakistan as much as they were by India. Dulat also claimed that after the Kargil war, the people of Kashmir realised that Pakistan too had its limitations.