"My message to the people of (South Asia) is that Pakistan is very serious about bringing a paradigm shift (in its ties with India)," Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said in an interview to PTV.

He refuted criticism that there had been a deviation in Pakisans Kashmir policy. "Definitely no deviation (on Kashmir). Why are we making proposals, we want to change the status quo. The party wanting to change the staus quo has to make greater exertions. Indians perhaps would be happy with status quo," he said, defending President Pervez Musharrafs proposals to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

Answering a question on whether Pakistan alone was making proposals and India has not conceded anything, he said, "If India does not budge an inch, we wont budge an inch. What have we given? Nothing.

"We will only make a compromise if there is reciprocal flexibility shown by India. That should not deter us from making proposals, because we are the power interested in changing the status quo."

Kasuri's comments came after hardline religious parties accused the government of making a U-turn on the Kashmir issue in the wake of the Foreign Office spokesperson's statement on Monday that Pakistan had never claimed Kashmir as an integral part of its territory.