Pakistan will not sideline the Kashmir issue or compromise its honour and dignity, President Pervez Musharraf has said.

"Pakistan will never get coerced," Musharraf insisted at a dinner hosted in honour of the participants of the Pakistan Development Forum on Wednesday night.

He, however, said his country will not exclusively focus on Kashmir and is ready to have a 'composite dialogue' with India to resolve all outstanding issues. "There is a thaw in India-Pakistan relations. We welcome it," he said. Islamabad, he added, desired peace and harmony in the region and stood for economic progress.

But he refused to elaborate further saying it was better that he left Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali to deal with the normalisation process.

Musharraf has stepped up his interaction with Jamali ever since the visit of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to India and Pakistan. He met Jamali twice in the last 24 hours to discuss the Indo-Pak peace process.

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What do you think about the story? Read what others have to say: Number of User Comments: 16 Sub: Pak-Kash Nothing new. We are paying price of three generational perfidy of Nehru family, for which each of them got Bharat Ratna.Maharaja Hari Singh was lawful ... Posted by Anil Sub: Talk with Pakistan is waste I fully agree with the view of Mr. Srinivasan. I cannot understand what Pakistan want to to talk on Kashmir when it is an integral ... Posted by Krishnakumar Sub: Waste of time This whole thing is a waste of time. Be assured, the outcome this time also will be similar to the last time when Musharaf met ... Posted by Seby Sub: PAK President Mushraff is not a genuine person. now pakitani's are in trouble - because next US target is POK. that's why they are telling peace talk ... Posted by kishore Sub: musharraf.......wily fox all said and done u cannot trust musharraf abt peace. he is a wily fox who will change his tune according to the situation......afganistan.....iraq. i ... Posted by N.Sethuraman