Pakistan Praises India for Willingness to Talk

The spokesman for Pakistan’s military government on Saturday praised the “courageous” Indian decision to hold summit talks and said both sides needed to show flexibility to solve their 54-year dispute over Kashmir.

“There are stated positions on both sides which over the years have hardened,” Maj. Gen. Rashid Quereshi said.

“One expects that there needs to be a little flexibility and effort on both sides to come close and to get to any area which is acceptable to the people of Pakistan, for the government of India, for the people of Kashmir,” he said.

Although Quereshi, who commanded on the Kashmir front, restated Pakistan’s position that India should honor a half-century-old U.N. call for Kashmiris to vote on their future, he said it was too early to take a position on the ultimate solution.

After months of ignoring calls for talks by Pakistan’s military leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, India abruptly announced Wednesday that it was ending a largely ineffective cease-fire against guerrillas inside Kashmir and simultaneously invited Pakistan to start talks.

“I think it’s a courageous decision,” Quereshi said, speaking at Musharraf’s headquarters in the complex traditionally used by Pakistani prime ministers.

“I think it’s a right decision . . . and one sincerely hopes that both countries can sincerely work toward the resolution of this crisis.”

Quereshi said he expected a quick formal Pakistani acceptance of the Indian invitation delivered Friday.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s decision to open talks followed months of maintaining that negotiations were impossible until Pakistan stopped infiltrating guerrillas into Indian-ruled Kashmir.

Pakistan has always maintained that it gives only moral support.