Kashmir would prefer to be independent, says Congress leader Saifuddin Soz

Congress leader Saifuddin Soz on Friday sparked yet another controversy after he reinforced former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf's decade-old assessment that Kashmiris will rather "prefer to be independent" than merging with Pakistan if they are given a chance to "exercise their free will". Musharraf's statement came at a time when then prime minister Manmohan Singh was preparing to visit Islamabad for a decisive summit with him.