NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Pakistan is willing to give up its claim to Kashmir if India supports more autonomy for the disputed region, President Pervez Musharraf told an Indian TV station Tuesday.
"I believe when you are negotiating and you go for peace, it means what? It means compromise," Musharraf said, according to a transcript of his interview with New Delhi Television (NDTV).
"Compromise inherently means stepping back by both sides. So inherently, both sides have to give up their positions and step back. If one of us is not prepared to step back, we will not reach a solution."
Musharraf said he supports a four-point plan that calls for Kashmir's borders to remain the same and for troops to be withdrawn from the region. He said supporting that plan is not a way to negotiate for Kashmiri independence.
"We are against independence," he told NDTV.
Talks between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue have been ongoing.
So far, there has been no reaction from India to Musharraf's comments. The interview is scheduled to air on NDTV later in the day.
Kashmir has been the cause of two of the three wars between India and Pakistan, now both nuclear powers.
India accuses Pakistan of aiding and arming the militants at training camps on the Pakistani side of Kashmir -- a charge Islamabad strongly denies. Both India and Pakistan claim the predominantly Muslim region in its entirety.
India is predominantly Hindu, while Pakistan is mainly Muslim.
Latest violence
At least one person was killed and 14 others were wounded in northern Kashmir Tuesday during a grenade attack on an Indian army vehicle, police said.
"The grenade missed the target and exploded on the road, injuring 15 civilians," a senior police officer said.
The victims were taken to the hospital for treatment, and one of those 15, a critically injured civilian, later died.
Militants often target Indian security forces and vehicles in Kashmir. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded during 18 years of separatist violence.
Now this is a surprise. I knew Musharraf was braver and smarter than his Indian counterparts. But I didn't think he'd make such a bold offer. So now the ball is in India's court, and I pray that they can be more reasonable than before.
