Islamabad: Terming Kashmir as of "vital national interest", Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today (Feb 12, 2004) said he would not make any compromise while trying to resolve the issue with India in a "peaceful manner".

"Kashmir is of vital national interest, and I will be the last man to compromise vital national interests - that cannot be done," he told the National Defence College.

"We have to resolve Kashmir dispute with India in a peaceful manner. We have to bring harmony to the region, it will be beneficial to us, to India as well as to the region," he added.

Referring to the proposed Indo-Pak composite dialogue, Musharraf said he has made it very clear that there was a relationship between going forward on confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan and the progress of dialogue process on Kashmir.

He said Pakistanis were moderates but "unfortunately there is a minority of extremists, who I called terrorists".

"They are the once who are misusing the name of jehad. But they are actually striking at our roots internally, causing destabilisation inside. Now this is the group which needs to be sorted out."

On Afghanistan, he said everything happening on that country is not from Pakistan but admitted that "something is happening from the Pakistan side".

"On the Western border (with Afghanistan), certainly everything is not happening from Pakistan but certainly something is happening from Pakistan. Let us not bluff ourselves. Now whatever is happening from Pakistan must be stopped and that is what we are trying to do," he said.