Thursday, October 6 2005 16:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: India and Pakistan are considering three options, including joint control of Kashmir for an amicable solution to the issue, Pakistan Minister for Kashmir Affairs Faisal Saleh Hayat has said.

Besides joint control, the options under consideration are limited sovereignty formula and the devolution system formula, he said in an interview to 'The News' daily.

He claimed that the leaders, foreign ministers, foreign secretaries and even officials involved in the backdoor diplomacy have discussed these options, and Kashmiris on both sides of Line of Control are being taken into confidence in this regard.

Under the 'joint control formula', Pakistan and India could jointly control the Jammu and Kashmir region while the 'limited sovereignty formula' suggests that Kashmiris would be provided all the financial, local Government budget and other powers of a provincial Government, while the defence, currency and foreign affairs would be the joint responsibility of the two countries.

The third option of 'devolution system' has provision for expansion of the local Government system in a way that the Kashmiri people get right to self-determination type powers, he said. Under this option, the currencies of both Pakistan and India would be recognised in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan's efforts to crackdown on militant groups provided 'tremendous momentum' to the regional peace and stability.

Settlement of Palestine and Kashmir issues would 'get rid of the scourge' of terrorism, he was quoted in the media here as telling Commander of Bahrains's National Guards Maj. Gen. Shaikh Muhammad Al-Khalifa.