Senior leader of Indian National Congress, Saifuddin Soz, has said that Kashmiris' preferred choice is independence. 

The Congress leader was talking to ANI news agency, said he would agree with former Army Chief and president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, that if Kashmiris are given the chance to exercise their free will, they would prefer to be independent.

Soz was quoted as, "The statement [by Musharraf] was true then and remains true now also. I say the same but I know that it is not possible."

His [Saifuddin Soz] statement comes days before launch of his book 'Kashmir: Glimpses of History and the Story of Struggle'.

Moreover, he has criticized, in his book, India's use of force against Kashmiris and freedom fighters. He has emphasized that the mindsets of the Kashmiris are needed to be understood. 

Soz also said that then-Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh had scheduled a visit to Islamabad in June 2007 to meet Musharraf for a 'decisive dialogue' on Indian Held Kashmir. But, however, the meeting never took place.