KASHMIR AS PRICKLY AS CACTUS AS THE THIRD ROUND OF THE KASHMIR 
TALKS BEGAN IN KARACHI LAST WEEK, A CACTUS PLANT WAS PROMINENTLY 
PLACED ON THE NEGOTIATING TABLE IN FRONT OF INDIA'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR 
SARDAR SWARAN SINGH AN APT SYMBOL OF JUST HOW PRICKLY THE 
DISPUTE BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN STILL REMAINS . YET BY THE 
END OF THE DAY, THE FIRST FAINT GLIMMER OF COMPROMISE WAS 
VISIBLE . IN A SHARP DEPARTURE FROM ITS PREVIOUS INFLEXIBLE STAND, 
INDIA INDICATED THAT IT WOULD BE WILLING TO PARTITION KASHMIR ALONG 
A BOUNDARY OTHER THAN THE CURRENT U.N . CEASE-FIRE LINE, WHICH 
NOW GIVES INDIA TWO-THIRDS OF THE PROVINCE, INCLUDING ALL OF THE 
RICH VALE OF KASHMIR . THE NEW INDIAN PROPOSAL CALLED FOR 
INDIA TO KEEP LADAKH, PART OF WHICH IS CURRENTLY OCCUPIED BY 
RED CHINA, MOST OF THE PREDOMINANTLY HINDU AREA OF JAMMU, AND 
ONE-HALF OF THE VALE, INCLUDING THE PROVINCE'S CAPITAL OF SRINIGAR . 
PAKISTAN WOULD GET THE REST OF THE PROVINCE, PLUS RIGHTS OF 
FREE ACCESS FOR ALL ITS CITIZENS TO THE INDIAN PARTS OF 
THE PROVINCE . THOUGH PAKISTAN STILL SAYS IT WANTS ALL OF 
KASHMIR, IT HAS SIDETRACKED ITS DEMAND FOR A PLEBISCITE OVER THE 
WHOLE AREA, WHICH IS 77 PER CENT MOSLEM . THE PROSPECT 
IS FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS IN APRIL THIS TIME IN 
NEW DELHI . 