Islamabad: Expressing the hope that a solution to Kashmir problem could "most likely" be found by the year-end, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today (Feb 05, 2004) made it clear that he would prefer to leave power rather than compromising on the issue.

Addressing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Assembly in Muzaffarabad to mark the "Kashmir Solidarity Day", Musharraf said the Indo-Pak dialogue process scheduled to begin later this month was expected to pick up steam after Indian elections.

Contending that India's seriousness about the dialogue could be known after the elections, he said he believed that the Kashmir issue could be resolved "most likely" by the year-end.

Hitting out at political "opportunists" in Pakistan who tried to raise doubts in the minds of the people that he was heading for a sell-out on Kashmir, the General said anyone compromising on Kashmir issue and missile programme would be a "traitor" and he would prefer to leave power instead of doing so.

Musharraf said he decided to address the Assembly instead of Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali to make a detailed presentation on the events leading to thaw in Indo-Pak ties and the agreement between the two countries to begin the composite dialogue process.