Solution on Kashmir ‘within grasp’

President Pervez Musharraf was speaking at the concluding session in Islamabad of a meeting of South Asian parliamentarians.

“I personally feel it [Kashmir’s solution] should be done within the tenures of [Indian] Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and myself,” Mr Musharraf said in Islamabad.

He said demilitarization by Indian security forces – accused of atrocities against Kashmiris – should go hand in hand with an end to the atrocities of militants who have been fighting those security forces since 1989.

At least four Indian soldiers were killed on Friday in Indian-administered Kashmir. More than 40,000 people have died in 14 years of insurgency.