NEW DELHI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Pakistan would give up its claim to Kashmir if India agreed to give the disputed Himalayan territory autonomy under the joint supervision of both countries, President Pervez Musharraf has said. India did not respond directly to the proposal, which Musharraf has floated several times in the past, but said it could be discussed as part of a slow-moving peace process. In an interview with Indian news channel NDTV, Musharraf reiterated a phased plan to solve the decades-old dispute over Kashmir, proposals he also spelled out in his recent memoirs "In the Line of Fire". Asked if Pakistan would give up its claim to Kashmir if India agreed to implement this plan, Musharraf said: "We will have to ... Yes ... If this solution comes up," according to a statement from NDTV. "I'm not giving up ... at all ... but one is prepared to give up, in case India leaves its stated position also," he added later when pressed. First, Musharraf wants India and Pakistan to focus on the parts of the former princely state of Kashmir that are genuinely disputed by both sides, according to details of a plan he has discussed in the past. For example, Pakistan might give up any claim to the mainly Hindu Jammu region and the largely Buddhist region of Ladakh, if India renounced its claim to the overwhelmingly Muslim areas of Gilgit and Baltistan currently ruled by Pakistan. That would leave a majority Muslim region centred on the Kashmir Valley, most of which is now under Indian control but a part of which is ruled by Pakistan. DIRECT APPEAL? The Kashmir Valley is also the centre of a 17-year insurgency against Indian rule which has been backed by Pakistan. The two sides would then soften the border dividing Kashmir until it became "irrelevant", so that people and goods could move freely. A phased demilitarisation would follow on both sides of the current Line of Control dividing Kashmir. Autonomy or self-governance would then be offered to Kashmiris, under the joint supervision of the two countries. The proposals are nothing new but Musharraf has in the past expressed his frustration at what he sees as a lack of response from the Indian government. The interview was seen as a direct appeal to the Indian people by sections of the establishment in New Delhi. New Delhi agrees with the idea of creating a soft border in Kashmir and granting some form of autonomy, but has in the past been very wary of other aspects of Musharraf's plan, particularly joint supervision or control. It is very reluctant to sanction anything that would give Pakistan a say in what is now Indian Kashmir, effectively granting Islamabad a "victory" which it has failed to achieve on the battleground. "This is a serious matter and cannot be discussed before the media," said Anand Sharma, India's junior Foreign Minister. Foreign ministers of the two countries were due to hold talks next month and could discuss the proposals, he said. "The Indian prime minister's position is that we should make borders irrelevant ... We cannot redraw the map, but we can make borders irrelevant. That remains India's position. (Additional reporting by Nigam Prusty)
