Srinagar: The two factions of Hurriyat Conference today (Oct 26, 2004) cautiously reacted to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's proposal to identify some "regions" of Kashmir to demilitarise them and grant them the status of independence or joint control to find a solution to the issue.

"Hurriyat's stand is very clear on such issues. Either people of Jammu and Kashmir who have given a lot of sacrifices since 1947 should be given Right to self determination or a tripartite dialogue should be held to find a solution to the Kashmir issue," hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah, told sources in Srinagar.

He said Musharraf's suggestion was just one of the many formulae that have been proposed for the resolution of the long standing dispute which has to be discussed by all the three concerned parties.

"All formulae and suggestions other than implementation of UN Resolution on Kashmir have to be discussed during the tripartite talks involving India, Pakistan and the freedom-loving people of the State. There can be other suggestions as well which could be debated," he said.

The moderate faction of Hurriyat also gave a guarded reaction on Musharraf's proposal.

"Musharraf must have put forth this suggestion as one of the possibilities. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Musharraf during a meeting in New York had decided to explore possible solutions to the dispute. The suggestion would have been a result of that dialogue," former Chairman of the amalgam Abdul Gani Bhat said.

He said he saw nothing wrong in Musharraf's proposal, as demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir should happen.

"Pakistan has introduced an element of flexibility in its stance on Kashmir. We hope that India will also give a positive response and show similar flexibility," he added.

He, however, reserved his comment on the remarks made by Musharraf on plebiscite and conversion of Line of Control (LoC) as international border, saying," We would like to see the full text of the proposal first. We will meet and then react."

Democratic Freedom Party President Shabir Ahmad Shah welcomed Musharraf's proposal saying it provided a window of opportunity to India to resolve the issue.

"India should grab this opportunity keeping in mind the ground realities as this (Musharraf's statement) could pave the way for a lasting solution to Kashmir issue," Shah, who is currently on a tour of Jammu told sources over phone.

Shah said, "I feel Musharraf's statement was based on realities. We should also look into it with open mind and support the process. Kashmiris strongly believe in dialogue process. Tripartite talks among the concerned parties on Kashmir can lead to a lasting solution," he added.

Musharraf at an Iftar dinner last night (Oct 25, 2004) suggested India and Pakistan should consider the option of identifying some "regions" of Kashmir on both sides of Line of Control, demilitarise them and grant them the status of independence or joint control or under UN mandate.