Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said, the next few months will be "very important" for progress towards settlement of longstanding issues, including Kashmir, with India.

Addressing prominent businessmen in Islamabad yesterday (Oct 7, 2004) about his recent meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York, Musharraf said, "Next few months will be very important for progress towards settlement of longstanding disputes between Pakistan and India, including Kashmir," State-run PTV reported.

He, however, did not elaborate on the kind of progress on the contentious issues.

During their meeting in New York on Sep 24, 2004 Singh and Musharraf agreed to look into options to resolve the Kashmir issue and Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said this week that work was in progress to identify options that were agreeable to India, Pakistan and Kashmiris.

Hinting at progress in Indo-Pak ties, Musharraf said bright prospects were ahead for Pakistani exports to India and Afghanistan, PTV reported.

This is perhaps the first time that Musharraf has made a positive remark on trade relations with India.

The official Pakistan stand till now has been that progress on all fronts, including improving trade relations with India will move in tandem with the progress on resolution of Kashmir.

Musharraf's remarks came as Pakistan proposed dates for a host of meeting with India, which included expert-level talks on conventional and nuclear CBMs, parleys to run a bus service between Srinagar and Muzafarabad and a train service between Munnabao and Khokhrapar connecting Sindh and Rajasthan.