Jammu and Kashmir: News and Discussion
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Murder case filed against army
SRINAGAR: Even as Jammu and Kashmir government ordered a magisterial enquiry into the firing incident in Sopore town in which two youths were killed
and another critically wounded, police on Sunday registered a murder case against the army. ( Watch )
Police station Sopore registered an FIR 73/09 under section 302 against the army, police sources said. The army has also ordered an enquiry into the incident that occurred on Sunday evening.
"An enquiry has been ordered into the incident to identify the facts," an army spokesman said.
Authorities have imposed curfew in Sopore. "Curfew was promulgated in Sopore town as a precautionary measure," deputy commissioner Baramulla Baseer Ahmad Khan said adding that the step was taken to maintain law and order in view of tense situation in the town as well as its adjoining areas.
However, sources said thousands of people took to streets at Bomie-Sopore and staged a massive demonstration on Sunday morning demanding punishment for security personnel, who allegedly fired at the youths on Saturday evening killing two of them. The protesters carrying the body of one of the deceased also demanded withdrawal of troops from the area.
Fearing trouble, the authorities imposed curfew in Sopore.
Meanwhile, acting chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai was placed under house arrest to stop him from visiting Sopore to lead the funeral of one of the two youths.
Police said the situation in the town was "tense" but under control after Mohammad Amin Tantray of Bomie-Sopore and Javid Ahmad of Muslimpeer-Sopore were killed and Firdous Ahmad was critically injured in the firing.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is currently on a three-day tour of the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident and asked for the report to be submitted within 15 days.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...se-filed-against-army/articleshow/4169253.cms
SRINAGAR: Even as Jammu and Kashmir government ordered a magisterial enquiry into the firing incident in Sopore town in which two youths were killed
and another critically wounded, police on Sunday registered a murder case against the army. ( Watch )
Police station Sopore registered an FIR 73/09 under section 302 against the army, police sources said. The army has also ordered an enquiry into the incident that occurred on Sunday evening.
"An enquiry has been ordered into the incident to identify the facts," an army spokesman said.
Authorities have imposed curfew in Sopore. "Curfew was promulgated in Sopore town as a precautionary measure," deputy commissioner Baramulla Baseer Ahmad Khan said adding that the step was taken to maintain law and order in view of tense situation in the town as well as its adjoining areas.
However, sources said thousands of people took to streets at Bomie-Sopore and staged a massive demonstration on Sunday morning demanding punishment for security personnel, who allegedly fired at the youths on Saturday evening killing two of them. The protesters carrying the body of one of the deceased also demanded withdrawal of troops from the area.
Fearing trouble, the authorities imposed curfew in Sopore.
Meanwhile, acting chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai was placed under house arrest to stop him from visiting Sopore to lead the funeral of one of the two youths.
Police said the situation in the town was "tense" but under control after Mohammad Amin Tantray of Bomie-Sopore and Javid Ahmad of Muslimpeer-Sopore were killed and Firdous Ahmad was critically injured in the firing.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is currently on a three-day tour of the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident and asked for the report to be submitted within 15 days.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...se-filed-against-army/articleshow/4169253.cms
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Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and I believe that as long as terrorism is prevalent in Kashmir no talks on it can be possible, because then it will be Like bowing down to terror. I say all the Parties involved lay down their arms, sit together and talk in a constructive manner and then come to an agreement which will bode well for the People of the state and not just Politicians!
A.V.
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India, Pakistan held secret talks on Kashmir
WASHINGTON: India and Pakistan engaged in nearly three years of secret high-level talks that narrowly missed achieving a historic breakthrough over
Kashmir, according to a media report.
The effort which began in 2004 stalled in 2007, and the prospects for a settlement were further undermined by deadly terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November, the Washington Post said on Sunday said citing an article by investigative journalist Steve Coll set for publication in New Yorker magazine.
The attempt ultimately failed, not because of substantive differences, Coll writes, but because declining political fortunes left then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf without the clout he needed to sell the agreement at home.
Although Musharraf fought for the deal he became so weakened politically that he "couldn't sell himself", let alone a surprise peace deal with India, Coll says, quoting senior Pakistani and Indian officials.
Coll, a former Washington Post managing editor, writes that the resolution of the Kashmir issue was the cornerstone of a broad agreement that would have represented a "paradigm shift" in relations between India and Pakistan: a moving away from decades of hostility to acceptance and peaceful trade.
Under the plan, the Kashmir conflict would have been resolved through the creation of an autonomous region in which local residents could move freely and conduct trade on both sides of the territorial boundary.
According to Coll's account, the secret negotiations consisted of about two dozen meetings in hotel rooms in various overseas locations.
The sessions revolved around developing a document known as a "non-paper", diplomatic jargon for a negotiated text that bears no names or signatures and can "serve as a deniable but detailed basis for a deal", the article says.
The US and British governments were aware of the talks and offered low-key support and advice but otherwise elected to let India and Pakistan settle their disputes unaided, the article says.
Relations - and hopes for resuming the peace initiative - began a downward slide after Musharraf left office, it said.
In Kashmir, anti-India fighters began an aggressive campaign of public demonstrations and terrorist attacks that seemed designed, Coll writes, to send a message: "Musharraf is gone, but the Kashmir war is alive."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...lks-on-Kashmir-Report/articleshow/4170951.cms
WASHINGTON: India and Pakistan engaged in nearly three years of secret high-level talks that narrowly missed achieving a historic breakthrough over
Kashmir, according to a media report.
The effort which began in 2004 stalled in 2007, and the prospects for a settlement were further undermined by deadly terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November, the Washington Post said on Sunday said citing an article by investigative journalist Steve Coll set for publication in New Yorker magazine.
The attempt ultimately failed, not because of substantive differences, Coll writes, but because declining political fortunes left then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf without the clout he needed to sell the agreement at home.
Although Musharraf fought for the deal he became so weakened politically that he "couldn't sell himself", let alone a surprise peace deal with India, Coll says, quoting senior Pakistani and Indian officials.
Coll, a former Washington Post managing editor, writes that the resolution of the Kashmir issue was the cornerstone of a broad agreement that would have represented a "paradigm shift" in relations between India and Pakistan: a moving away from decades of hostility to acceptance and peaceful trade.
Under the plan, the Kashmir conflict would have been resolved through the creation of an autonomous region in which local residents could move freely and conduct trade on both sides of the territorial boundary.
According to Coll's account, the secret negotiations consisted of about two dozen meetings in hotel rooms in various overseas locations.
The sessions revolved around developing a document known as a "non-paper", diplomatic jargon for a negotiated text that bears no names or signatures and can "serve as a deniable but detailed basis for a deal", the article says.
The US and British governments were aware of the talks and offered low-key support and advice but otherwise elected to let India and Pakistan settle their disputes unaided, the article says.
Relations - and hopes for resuming the peace initiative - began a downward slide after Musharraf left office, it said.
In Kashmir, anti-India fighters began an aggressive campaign of public demonstrations and terrorist attacks that seemed designed, Coll writes, to send a message: "Musharraf is gone, but the Kashmir war is alive."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...lks-on-Kashmir-Report/articleshow/4170951.cms
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Kashmir is already trifurcated into CoK, Pok and J&K. By J&K to be an integral part of India do you mean Kashmir as it was in 1947 or Kashmir under Indian adminstration ?
If you mean the former than why does India claim Kashmir to be a bilateral issue since China occupies Kashmir too ? if you mean the latter, than that means forfeiting territory to the enemy or declaring occupying forces to be legitimate ?
In any case if J&K is considered an integral part and rest all have been forfeited and if free fair elections show that Kashmiris are voting for a pro-Indian govt than why the need for talks?
Kill all the terrorists, arrest all HC members on sedition charges, disband Ikhwahan, scrap Article 370, declare all treaties with Pakistan in which kashmir was declared to be a pending issue as null and void and tell Pakistan to keep off LoC or "".
---
I don't believe India should encourage the terrorists to lay down their arms nor rehabilitate them. This is counter-productive on many levels. Damn the government.
All parties involved in Kashmir issue are greedy, be they politicians, terrorists,
Pro-pak, pro-independence or pro-India groups. Kashmiris as a whole have spoken through elections their will should be heard, they want to be a part of mainstream Indian society.
The policy of carrot and stick adopted elsewhere will not work in Kashmir till article 370 is scrapped. And scrapping it at once will be counter-productive. This should be done gradually, allay their fears, pump in money, reduce their autonomy.
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I as an Indian feel J&K is Indian. The Problems there never being solved lies squarely on the shoulders of our Governments, be they Congress or BJP or whatever. In 71 it could have been solved, but they left it for another day!
The way of the gun never works I feel, at least with an unconventional enemy, like the terrorists operating in Kashmir. Arresting people will only end up them gaining more sympathy from others. If Arresting and putting people behind bars were productive then the British would have succeeded when Gandhi was thrown in jail!
Sense should Prevail, Sensibility should Prevail, Sensitivity should Prevail.
The way of the gun never works I feel, at least with an unconventional enemy, like the terrorists operating in Kashmir. Arresting people will only end up them gaining more sympathy from others. If Arresting and putting people behind bars were productive then the British would have succeeded when Gandhi was thrown in jail!
Sense should Prevail, Sensibility should Prevail, Sensitivity should Prevail.
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Breakthrough Top Secret India-Pakistan Talks Cited
India and Pakistan engaged in nearly three years of secret, high-level talks that narrowly missed achieving a historic breakthrough in the countries' decades-old conflict over Kashmir, according to an account set for publication today.
The negotiations, which began in 2004, produced the outlines of an accord that would have allowed a gradual demilitarization of the disputed Himalayan province, a flash point in relations between the rivals since 1947. The effort stalled in 2007, and the prospects for a settlement were further undermined by deadly terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November, the report said.
The peace initiative is described in an article by investigative journalist Steve Coll, who writes in New Yorker magazine that the two sides had "come to semicolons" in their negotiations when the effort lost steam.
The attempt ultimately failed, not because of substantive differences, Coll writes, but because declining political fortunes left Pakistan's then-president, Pervez Musharraf, without the clout he needed to sell the agreement at home. Although Musharraf fought for the deal -- as did Indian leader Manmohan Singh -- he became so weakened politically that he "couldn't sell himself," let alone a surprise peace deal with Pakistan's longtime rival, Coll says, quoting senior Pakistani and Indian officials. Musharraf resigned as president in August.
Coll, a former Washington Post managing editor who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for his book "Ghost Wars," writes that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute was the cornerstone of a broad agreement that would have represented a "paradigm shift" in relations between India and Pakistan: a moving away from decades of hostility to acceptance and peaceful trade.
Under the plan, the Kashmir conflict would have been resolved through the creation of an autonomous region in which local residents could move freely and conduct trade on both sides of the territorial boundary. Over time, the border would become irrelevant, and declining violence would allow a gradual withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops that now face one another across the region's mountain passes.
"It was huge -- I think it would have changed the basic nature of the problem," the article quoted a senior Indian official as saying. "You would have then had the freedom to remake Indo-Pakistani relations."
According to Coll's account, the secret negotiations consisted of about two dozen meetings in hotel rooms in various overseas locations. The sessions revolved around developing a document known as a "non-paper," diplomatic jargon for a negotiated text that bears no names or signatures and can "serve as a deniable but detailed basis for a deal," the article says.
The U.S. and British governments were aware of the talks and offered low-key support and advice but otherwise elected to let India and Pakistan settle their disputes unaided, the article says.
"Ultimately, any peace settlement would have to attract support in both countries' parliaments; if it were seen as a product of American or British meddling, its prospects would be dim," Coll writes.
Musharraf is portrayed as an enthusiastic supporter of the deal who succeeded in winning converts among the country's skeptical military leadership. Yet, just as the two countries were beginning to consider how to sell the plan domestically, Musharraf was compelled to seek a delay. In March 2007, as the two capitals were discussing plans for a historic summit, Musharraf became embroiled in a public feud with his country's highest court. He eventually fired the chief justice, triggering weeks of protests by lawyers and activists.
What was thought to be a temporary setback soon proved to be far more serious. "Rather than recovering, the general slipped into a political death spiral," culminating in his resignation, Coll said.
Relations -- and hopes for resuming the peace initiative -- began a downward slide after Musharraf left office. In Kashmir, anti-India fighters began an aggressive campaign of public demonstrations and terrorist attacks that seemed designed, Coll writes, to send a message: "Musharraf is gone, but the Kashmir war is alive."
In recent weeks, there have been signs of a modest thaw in Indo-Pakistani relations. Last week, The Washington Post reported that Indian and Pakistani spy agencies have been cooperating secretly in India's investigation of the Mumbai attacks, sharing highly sensitive intelligence, with the CIA serving as arbiter and mediator. Pakistan has announced criminal charges against Pakistan-based men linked to the attack and acknowledged that some of the planning for the three-day assault occurred in that country.
Yet, in the emotionally charged aftermath of the attacks, the new civilian-led government of Pakistan may not find it easy to return to negotiations on Kashmir, even if it wishes to, Coll said.
"The military is completely on board at top levels -- with a paradigm shift, to see India as an opportunity, to change domestic attitudes," a senior Pakistani official was quoted as saying. But, he reportedly added, "the public mood is out of sync."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/21/AR2009022101714.html
I for one am glad that this accord was not signed...if Singh was stupid enough to sign it we would have seen the terrorists expand into Indian controlled land and lets not forget China. They would come under the pretense of helping mediate the situation and next thing you know they would be taking over the northern states. I dont know what the hell is wrong with Manmohan singh...he is just such a Edited. I am sorry that I am getting agitated but I cannot believe that our leader would actually consider this..Kashmir is a PART OF INDIA and we dont have to sign some peace accord with pakistan. They are the ones who have instigated all the wars and they are the ones who have the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on their hands....
India and Pakistan engaged in nearly three years of secret, high-level talks that narrowly missed achieving a historic breakthrough in the countries' decades-old conflict over Kashmir, according to an account set for publication today.
The negotiations, which began in 2004, produced the outlines of an accord that would have allowed a gradual demilitarization of the disputed Himalayan province, a flash point in relations between the rivals since 1947. The effort stalled in 2007, and the prospects for a settlement were further undermined by deadly terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November, the report said.
The peace initiative is described in an article by investigative journalist Steve Coll, who writes in New Yorker magazine that the two sides had "come to semicolons" in their negotiations when the effort lost steam.
The attempt ultimately failed, not because of substantive differences, Coll writes, but because declining political fortunes left Pakistan's then-president, Pervez Musharraf, without the clout he needed to sell the agreement at home. Although Musharraf fought for the deal -- as did Indian leader Manmohan Singh -- he became so weakened politically that he "couldn't sell himself," let alone a surprise peace deal with Pakistan's longtime rival, Coll says, quoting senior Pakistani and Indian officials. Musharraf resigned as president in August.
Coll, a former Washington Post managing editor who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for his book "Ghost Wars," writes that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute was the cornerstone of a broad agreement that would have represented a "paradigm shift" in relations between India and Pakistan: a moving away from decades of hostility to acceptance and peaceful trade.
Under the plan, the Kashmir conflict would have been resolved through the creation of an autonomous region in which local residents could move freely and conduct trade on both sides of the territorial boundary. Over time, the border would become irrelevant, and declining violence would allow a gradual withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops that now face one another across the region's mountain passes.
"It was huge -- I think it would have changed the basic nature of the problem," the article quoted a senior Indian official as saying. "You would have then had the freedom to remake Indo-Pakistani relations."
According to Coll's account, the secret negotiations consisted of about two dozen meetings in hotel rooms in various overseas locations. The sessions revolved around developing a document known as a "non-paper," diplomatic jargon for a negotiated text that bears no names or signatures and can "serve as a deniable but detailed basis for a deal," the article says.
The U.S. and British governments were aware of the talks and offered low-key support and advice but otherwise elected to let India and Pakistan settle their disputes unaided, the article says.
"Ultimately, any peace settlement would have to attract support in both countries' parliaments; if it were seen as a product of American or British meddling, its prospects would be dim," Coll writes.
Musharraf is portrayed as an enthusiastic supporter of the deal who succeeded in winning converts among the country's skeptical military leadership. Yet, just as the two countries were beginning to consider how to sell the plan domestically, Musharraf was compelled to seek a delay. In March 2007, as the two capitals were discussing plans for a historic summit, Musharraf became embroiled in a public feud with his country's highest court. He eventually fired the chief justice, triggering weeks of protests by lawyers and activists.
What was thought to be a temporary setback soon proved to be far more serious. "Rather than recovering, the general slipped into a political death spiral," culminating in his resignation, Coll said.
Relations -- and hopes for resuming the peace initiative -- began a downward slide after Musharraf left office. In Kashmir, anti-India fighters began an aggressive campaign of public demonstrations and terrorist attacks that seemed designed, Coll writes, to send a message: "Musharraf is gone, but the Kashmir war is alive."
In recent weeks, there have been signs of a modest thaw in Indo-Pakistani relations. Last week, The Washington Post reported that Indian and Pakistani spy agencies have been cooperating secretly in India's investigation of the Mumbai attacks, sharing highly sensitive intelligence, with the CIA serving as arbiter and mediator. Pakistan has announced criminal charges against Pakistan-based men linked to the attack and acknowledged that some of the planning for the three-day assault occurred in that country.
Yet, in the emotionally charged aftermath of the attacks, the new civilian-led government of Pakistan may not find it easy to return to negotiations on Kashmir, even if it wishes to, Coll said.
"The military is completely on board at top levels -- with a paradigm shift, to see India as an opportunity, to change domestic attitudes," a senior Pakistani official was quoted as saying. But, he reportedly added, "the public mood is out of sync."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/21/AR2009022101714.html
I for one am glad that this accord was not signed...if Singh was stupid enough to sign it we would have seen the terrorists expand into Indian controlled land and lets not forget China. They would come under the pretense of helping mediate the situation and next thing you know they would be taking over the northern states. I dont know what the hell is wrong with Manmohan singh...he is just such a Edited. I am sorry that I am getting agitated but I cannot believe that our leader would actually consider this..Kashmir is a PART OF INDIA and we dont have to sign some peace accord with pakistan. They are the ones who have instigated all the wars and they are the ones who have the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on their hands....
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Actually I feel, Politicians on both sides dont want Kashmir to be resolved. When our Politicians come around, there is a coup in Pakistan and when theirs come around there will be other problems. I still think, who torpedoed the Agra Summit?
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India granted a "lifeline" after Kashmiri elections
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has been granted a "lifeline" after most Kashmiris voted in landmark elections but the government must avoid complacency and intransigence if it is to bring peace, Kashmir's new leader said on Tuesday.
But the bad timing of an economic slowdown, a general election and the diplomatic aftermath of November's Mumbai attacks mean quick progress in the disputed region will be almost impossible, Omar Abdullah told Reuters in an interview.
"The opportunity is enormous," Chief Minister Abdullah said in a house surrounded by photos of a family that has dominated Kashmir for decades. His grandfather was Sheikh Abdullah, the state's best-known leader known as the "Lion of Kashmir" for his defiance against New Delhi and his subsequent imprisonment for nearly 20 years.
"But we shouldn't underestimate the extent of the challenges we face," he added. "There is a bad timing."
Abdullah, 38, emerged as chief minister in the disputed region in January after his National Conference party and the ruling Congress party defied a separatist boycott to win the election and forge a coalition government.
Many Kashmiris saw his victory as bringing hope that some deal could be reached to help end a conflict that has provoked two of India and Pakistan's three wars.
Kashmir was convulsed last year by the biggest pro-separatist protests since 1947 when the sub-continent was divided into Muslim Pakistan and mostly Hindu India. After the Mumbai attacks sparked more diplomatic tension, there was some international pressure on India to find a solution to Kashmir.
The fact that the two-decades-old insurgency has waned should not be taken as an excuse to sit back, Abdullah said.
"New Delhi made the mistake of convincing itself that because tourist numbers were up, violence levels were down, that the Kashmir issue had kind of buried itself," Abdullah said.
"New Delhi has really been handed a lifeline through this election and they need to capitalise on that."
INDIAN PETTINESS?
Abdullah says it is almost impossible in his new job not to offend either Kashmir or the rest of India, and his comments reflect his efforts to tread a fine line between the two.
He criticised the killing of two Muslim youths at the weekend in an incident blamed on the army which sparked street protests, calling it a "huge setback".
He also blamed the government for delays in granting separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq a visa for his Kashmiri-origin American wife.
"Why would you want to talk to us if we were going to deny a simple thing like a visa to his wife?" he said.
But he felt there were signs of political will in New Delhi, and said he hoped secret talks between India and Pakistan that nearly led to a deal on Kashmir in 2007 could be revived. The deal fell through, and both sides have blamed each other.
The deal was reported to have been called a "non-paper" -- a diplomatic understanding that both sides need not sign.
"This non-paper was being circulated. It was autonomy, devolution, self government," he said. "It basically meant that the central unit would have a little less control ... We'd like to see this non-paper revived."
The new state government is trying to get arrest orders brought last year against separatists rescinded, he said.
Any further moves will come after general elections due by May, when Abdullah said he may talk to separatist parties for the first time since last year's protests.
"To be honest with you I haven't sent out any (feelers) and I don't think we will be sending out any until once we've got this parliament election out of the way."
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-38181220090224?sp=true
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has been granted a "lifeline" after most Kashmiris voted in landmark elections but the government must avoid complacency and intransigence if it is to bring peace, Kashmir's new leader said on Tuesday.
But the bad timing of an economic slowdown, a general election and the diplomatic aftermath of November's Mumbai attacks mean quick progress in the disputed region will be almost impossible, Omar Abdullah told Reuters in an interview.
"The opportunity is enormous," Chief Minister Abdullah said in a house surrounded by photos of a family that has dominated Kashmir for decades. His grandfather was Sheikh Abdullah, the state's best-known leader known as the "Lion of Kashmir" for his defiance against New Delhi and his subsequent imprisonment for nearly 20 years.
"But we shouldn't underestimate the extent of the challenges we face," he added. "There is a bad timing."
Abdullah, 38, emerged as chief minister in the disputed region in January after his National Conference party and the ruling Congress party defied a separatist boycott to win the election and forge a coalition government.
Many Kashmiris saw his victory as bringing hope that some deal could be reached to help end a conflict that has provoked two of India and Pakistan's three wars.
Kashmir was convulsed last year by the biggest pro-separatist protests since 1947 when the sub-continent was divided into Muslim Pakistan and mostly Hindu India. After the Mumbai attacks sparked more diplomatic tension, there was some international pressure on India to find a solution to Kashmir.
The fact that the two-decades-old insurgency has waned should not be taken as an excuse to sit back, Abdullah said.
"New Delhi made the mistake of convincing itself that because tourist numbers were up, violence levels were down, that the Kashmir issue had kind of buried itself," Abdullah said.
"New Delhi has really been handed a lifeline through this election and they need to capitalise on that."
INDIAN PETTINESS?
Abdullah says it is almost impossible in his new job not to offend either Kashmir or the rest of India, and his comments reflect his efforts to tread a fine line between the two.
He criticised the killing of two Muslim youths at the weekend in an incident blamed on the army which sparked street protests, calling it a "huge setback".
He also blamed the government for delays in granting separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq a visa for his Kashmiri-origin American wife.
"Why would you want to talk to us if we were going to deny a simple thing like a visa to his wife?" he said.
But he felt there were signs of political will in New Delhi, and said he hoped secret talks between India and Pakistan that nearly led to a deal on Kashmir in 2007 could be revived. The deal fell through, and both sides have blamed each other.
The deal was reported to have been called a "non-paper" -- a diplomatic understanding that both sides need not sign.
"This non-paper was being circulated. It was autonomy, devolution, self government," he said. "It basically meant that the central unit would have a little less control ... We'd like to see this non-paper revived."
The new state government is trying to get arrest orders brought last year against separatists rescinded, he said.
Any further moves will come after general elections due by May, when Abdullah said he may talk to separatist parties for the first time since last year's protests.
"To be honest with you I haven't sent out any (feelers) and I don't think we will be sending out any until once we've got this parliament election out of the way."
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-38181220090224?sp=true
A.V.
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Move to scrap army’s special powers in J&K
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Story...ove+to+scrap+army’s+special+powers+in+J&K
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mehbooba Mufti, has moved a resolution for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act on the eve of the budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.
The budget session will commence on Wednesday at a time when the Valley is back to protests, clashes and anti-India demonstrations, following the recent killings of civilians in Sopore allegedly by the army and the murder of a relative of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Yasin Malik.
The PDP MLA from Darhal, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, moved a private member resolution for the “withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Power Act from the State of Jammu and Kashmir to prevent killings of innocent citizens at the hands of security forces.”
The Act was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir in July 1990 at the time when militancy was at its peak. The PDP raised objections to the Act in the House in early 2007, when it was part of the ruling alliance with the Congress.
But then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress described the move as running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. In protest, the PDP surrendered the security cover of its top leaders, including Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti.
But now, Chief Minister Omar Abduillah of the National Conference, who has been feted as the youngest CM of the state at 38, will have to face the first major test of his political career in the assembly.
The scrapping of the Act puts the National Conference in a dilemma. For, twice during the budget sessions in 2006 and 2007, the party had stalled the proceedings demanding action against soldiers for killing four children and civilians in fake encounters.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Story...ove+to+scrap+army’s+special+powers+in+J&K
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mehbooba Mufti, has moved a resolution for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act on the eve of the budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.
The budget session will commence on Wednesday at a time when the Valley is back to protests, clashes and anti-India demonstrations, following the recent killings of civilians in Sopore allegedly by the army and the murder of a relative of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Yasin Malik.
The PDP MLA from Darhal, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, moved a private member resolution for the “withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Power Act from the State of Jammu and Kashmir to prevent killings of innocent citizens at the hands of security forces.”
The Act was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir in July 1990 at the time when militancy was at its peak. The PDP raised objections to the Act in the House in early 2007, when it was part of the ruling alliance with the Congress.
But then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress described the move as running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. In protest, the PDP surrendered the security cover of its top leaders, including Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti.
But now, Chief Minister Omar Abduillah of the National Conference, who has been feted as the youngest CM of the state at 38, will have to face the first major test of his political career in the assembly.
The scrapping of the Act puts the National Conference in a dilemma. For, twice during the budget sessions in 2006 and 2007, the party had stalled the proceedings demanding action against soldiers for killing four children and civilians in fake encounters.
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Giving up territory is a no go for both nations, India is willing to give up claims on PoK and CoK though..
you still think ?
A.V.
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Army opposes Omar's plans to revoke AFSPA
NEW DELHI: Terming Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's statement hinting at revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the state
as "regressive", Army has opposed any such move, TV reports say.
According to Times Now, Army sources have said that any move to revoke AFSPA by the chief minister in J&K would be detrimental to the security of the Valley and would provide a boost to the terrorists.
Earlier in the day, promising to work towards withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Disturbed Areas Act in Jamu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said his government is creating conditions conducive for such a measure, PTI reported.
"My government is creating the conditions conducive for the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state," Abdullah said in his maiden address to the Assembly after taking over as head of the NC-Congress coalition on January five.
"If the situation continues to improve the way it has been improving, the coalition government would work towards withdrawal of laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and disturbed areas act in Jammu and Kashmir," he said replying to the adjournment motion moved by opposition PDP alleging continued rights violations in the state.
Launching a scathing attack on People's Democratic Party, Omar accused it of creating unrest among people by falsely implicating Army personnel in the recent murder cases, PTI reported.
The PDP motion came in the backdrop of days of violent protests in some parts of the valley against the killing of two youths in Sopore town of Baramulla on Saturday and of a 35-year-old auto-driver Shabir Ahmad Sheikh, a close kin of JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...o-revoke-AFSPA-Report/articleshow/4197012.cms
NEW DELHI: Terming Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's statement hinting at revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the state
as "regressive", Army has opposed any such move, TV reports say.
According to Times Now, Army sources have said that any move to revoke AFSPA by the chief minister in J&K would be detrimental to the security of the Valley and would provide a boost to the terrorists.
Earlier in the day, promising to work towards withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Disturbed Areas Act in Jamu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said his government is creating conditions conducive for such a measure, PTI reported.
"My government is creating the conditions conducive for the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state," Abdullah said in his maiden address to the Assembly after taking over as head of the NC-Congress coalition on January five.
"If the situation continues to improve the way it has been improving, the coalition government would work towards withdrawal of laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and disturbed areas act in Jammu and Kashmir," he said replying to the adjournment motion moved by opposition PDP alleging continued rights violations in the state.
Launching a scathing attack on People's Democratic Party, Omar accused it of creating unrest among people by falsely implicating Army personnel in the recent murder cases, PTI reported.
The PDP motion came in the backdrop of days of violent protests in some parts of the valley against the killing of two youths in Sopore town of Baramulla on Saturday and of a 35-year-old auto-driver Shabir Ahmad Sheikh, a close kin of JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...o-revoke-AFSPA-Report/articleshow/4197012.cms
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Obama advised to avoid falling into Kashmir trap
A leading South Asia expert has advised President Barack Obama to avoid falling into the trap of trying to directly mediate between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue given New Delhi's concerns.
"There is some uncertainty over whether the new Obama will maintain the current momentum in improving US-India ties," Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank told a Congressional panel on Thursday.
"Obama's statements during last year's presidential campaign linking the resolution of the Kashmir conflict to the stabilisation of Afghanistan have raised concerns in New Delhi," she said testifying before the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.
India fears "the new Administration might revert back to policies that view India narrowly through the South Asia prism rather than as the emerging global power it has become."
Indian concerns were somewhat assuaged by the late-January announcement that Richard Holbrooke, special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, would focus on those two countries, not on India or Jammu and Kashmir, Curtis noted.
Giving her policy recommendations on "Building a Strategic Partnership: US-India Relations in the Wake of Mumbai" she said: "Washington should avoid falling into the trap of trying to directly mediate on the Indo-Pakistani dispute over Kashmir."
The US should instead encourage the two sides to resume bilateral talks that had made substantial progress from 2004 to 2007, Curtis said suggesting "recent assertions that the US should try to help resolve the Kashmir issue so that Pakistan can focus on reining in militancy on its Afghan border is misguided."
"Raising the spectre of international intervention in the dispute could fuel unrealistic expectations in Pakistan for a final settlement in its favour," she said adding, "Such expectations could encourage Islamabad to increase support for Kashmiri militants to push an agenda it believes to be within reach."
Such a scenario is hardly unprecedented, Curtis said, recalling former Pakistan president "Pervez Musharraf initiated the Kargil incursion into Indian-administered Kashmir in 1999 precisely to raise the profile of the Kashmir issue and to encourage international mediation."
The US can play a more productive role in easing Indo-Pakistani tensions by pursuing a quiet diplomatic role that encourages them to resume bilateral negotiations, she said.
A leading South Asia expert has advised President Barack Obama to avoid falling into the trap of trying to directly mediate between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue given New Delhi's concerns.
"There is some uncertainty over whether the new Obama will maintain the current momentum in improving US-India ties," Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank told a Congressional panel on Thursday.
"Obama's statements during last year's presidential campaign linking the resolution of the Kashmir conflict to the stabilisation of Afghanistan have raised concerns in New Delhi," she said testifying before the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.
India fears "the new Administration might revert back to policies that view India narrowly through the South Asia prism rather than as the emerging global power it has become."
Indian concerns were somewhat assuaged by the late-January announcement that Richard Holbrooke, special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, would focus on those two countries, not on India or Jammu and Kashmir, Curtis noted.
Giving her policy recommendations on "Building a Strategic Partnership: US-India Relations in the Wake of Mumbai" she said: "Washington should avoid falling into the trap of trying to directly mediate on the Indo-Pakistani dispute over Kashmir."
The US should instead encourage the two sides to resume bilateral talks that had made substantial progress from 2004 to 2007, Curtis said suggesting "recent assertions that the US should try to help resolve the Kashmir issue so that Pakistan can focus on reining in militancy on its Afghan border is misguided."
"Raising the spectre of international intervention in the dispute could fuel unrealistic expectations in Pakistan for a final settlement in its favour," she said adding, "Such expectations could encourage Islamabad to increase support for Kashmiri militants to push an agenda it believes to be within reach."
Such a scenario is hardly unprecedented, Curtis said, recalling former Pakistan president "Pervez Musharraf initiated the Kargil incursion into Indian-administered Kashmir in 1999 precisely to raise the profile of the Kashmir issue and to encourage international mediation."
The US can play a more productive role in easing Indo-Pakistani tensions by pursuing a quiet diplomatic role that encourages them to resume bilateral negotiations, she said.
Kashmir Rifles: Thousands of Valley youth turn up to enlist
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20090309&fname=Kashmir+(F)&sid=1
A good development. Kashmiri youth participating in the national struggle against the cross border terror can only be good.
Another slap in the face of the few separatists and the Pakistanis who think that the Kashmiris support them.
Another slap in the face of the few separatists and the Pakistanis who think that the Kashmiris support them.
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India, Pakistan Came Close to Peace Deal in Kashmir
Recent media reports in the U.S. and Pakistan reveal that India and Pakistan came close to reaching an informal agreement on Kashmir after three years of secret negotiations. The reports say the deal could not be formalized because the Musharraf government fell.
India's Kashmir Valley, once a paradise for tourists, is often under curfew now because of a separatist drive led by a dozen Muslim militant groups. Hundreds of army troops patrol the valley to crush these groups, which India says are being armed and funded by Pakistan. Islamabad denies this.
India and Pakistan had worked toward reaching agreement in the past two decades
Over the past two decades, India and Pakistan have tried several times to reach agreement on a plan to bring peace to Kashmir, but have failed. But recent media reports have revealed that the two neighbors did come close to reaching an informal agreement last year, just before Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was ousted.
General Musharraf was in Washington last month and confirmed these reports to South Asia expert Shuja Nawaz.
"They were not just discussing Kashmir but they were discussing the entire India Pakistan relationship, according to President Musharraf himself," says Nawaz, an analyst with the Atlantic Council. "Recently when he was here in Washington he confirmed this that they were very close to an agreement," he said.
India controls two-thirds of Kashmir and Pakistan the rest. Both claim the entire region that for now is divided by a U.N.-marked boundary, known as the Line of Control, or LOC.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly said he wants to make the LOC irrelevant and let the divided Kashmiri families visit each other. Shuja Nawaz says that was the basis of the aborted accord.
Shuja Nawaz
"The idea being that Kashmir should progress, in the sense that people on both sides of the Line of Control should be able to cross to and from and let there be some commerce, let there be some movement so that over time it ceases to be a hot border," Nawaz explained.
General Musharraf said he wanted to change the old Pakistani policy of insisting on a referendum in Indian Kashmir demanded by a 1948 U.N. resolution. But then last year General Musharraf himself landed into political turmoil after he replaced the judiciary.
"Even within the military, people started doubting his ability to get Pakistan out of the hole which he had dug for the country and for himself. … India also saw him crumbling," Nawaz said.
But the turmoil may have contributed to a lost opportunity - especially for India, according to Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institution. "I don't think they truly understood how radical and different Musharraf's proposal was. He broke with the past Pakistani policy," he said.
India is expected to hold general elections later this year, and Cohen is not optimistic the two sides can pick up the thread that General Musharraf left until afterwards. "We have to come back to this issue in about four months from now after the Indian elections, after the new Indian government and by that time we are not quite sure what is going to happen in Pakistan," he said.
Shuja Nawaz says he also sees no short term solution. He says both countries must realize that the impasse over Kashmir cannot be resolved simply through bilateral discussions - but must include the participation of Kashmiris on both sides of the LOC before a permanent solution can be reached.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-03-voa19.cfm
Recent media reports in the U.S. and Pakistan reveal that India and Pakistan came close to reaching an informal agreement on Kashmir after three years of secret negotiations. The reports say the deal could not be formalized because the Musharraf government fell.
India's Kashmir Valley, once a paradise for tourists, is often under curfew now because of a separatist drive led by a dozen Muslim militant groups. Hundreds of army troops patrol the valley to crush these groups, which India says are being armed and funded by Pakistan. Islamabad denies this.
India and Pakistan had worked toward reaching agreement in the past two decades
Over the past two decades, India and Pakistan have tried several times to reach agreement on a plan to bring peace to Kashmir, but have failed. But recent media reports have revealed that the two neighbors did come close to reaching an informal agreement last year, just before Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was ousted.
General Musharraf was in Washington last month and confirmed these reports to South Asia expert Shuja Nawaz.
"They were not just discussing Kashmir but they were discussing the entire India Pakistan relationship, according to President Musharraf himself," says Nawaz, an analyst with the Atlantic Council. "Recently when he was here in Washington he confirmed this that they were very close to an agreement," he said.
India controls two-thirds of Kashmir and Pakistan the rest. Both claim the entire region that for now is divided by a U.N.-marked boundary, known as the Line of Control, or LOC.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly said he wants to make the LOC irrelevant and let the divided Kashmiri families visit each other. Shuja Nawaz says that was the basis of the aborted accord.
Shuja Nawaz
"The idea being that Kashmir should progress, in the sense that people on both sides of the Line of Control should be able to cross to and from and let there be some commerce, let there be some movement so that over time it ceases to be a hot border," Nawaz explained.
General Musharraf said he wanted to change the old Pakistani policy of insisting on a referendum in Indian Kashmir demanded by a 1948 U.N. resolution. But then last year General Musharraf himself landed into political turmoil after he replaced the judiciary.
"Even within the military, people started doubting his ability to get Pakistan out of the hole which he had dug for the country and for himself. … India also saw him crumbling," Nawaz said.
But the turmoil may have contributed to a lost opportunity - especially for India, according to Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institution. "I don't think they truly understood how radical and different Musharraf's proposal was. He broke with the past Pakistani policy," he said.
India is expected to hold general elections later this year, and Cohen is not optimistic the two sides can pick up the thread that General Musharraf left until afterwards. "We have to come back to this issue in about four months from now after the Indian elections, after the new Indian government and by that time we are not quite sure what is going to happen in Pakistan," he said.
Shuja Nawaz says he also sees no short term solution. He says both countries must realize that the impasse over Kashmir cannot be resolved simply through bilateral discussions - but must include the participation of Kashmiris on both sides of the LOC before a permanent solution can be reached.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-03-voa19.cfm
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551 militants surrendered in J&K since 2004: Omar
Jammu (PTI): As many as 551 militants have surrendered before different authorities in Jammu and Kashmir since the implementation of the new surrender policy in the state in 2004, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told the State Assembly today.
Giving this information in a written reply to a question put up by Sakina Itoo of the National Conference (NC) in the House, the Chief Minister, however, said none of the surrendered ultras has been provided a government job.
On the steps taken for providing safe passage to the misguided youth of the state who are willing to join the mainstream after returning from the other side of the LoC, Mr. Omar said the matter is under consideration of the State Government.
In reply to another question by Shameem Firdous of NC, the Chief Minister said it is not a fact that relatives of persons accused of or involved in militant activities are facing hardships in obtaining Home department NOCs for preparation of various documents.
The procedure for grant of NOCs from the Home department has been streamlined so as to ensure that undue hardships is avoided in the case of those travelling for genuine reasons, he said.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200903050361.htm
Jammu (PTI): As many as 551 militants have surrendered before different authorities in Jammu and Kashmir since the implementation of the new surrender policy in the state in 2004, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told the State Assembly today.
Giving this information in a written reply to a question put up by Sakina Itoo of the National Conference (NC) in the House, the Chief Minister, however, said none of the surrendered ultras has been provided a government job.
On the steps taken for providing safe passage to the misguided youth of the state who are willing to join the mainstream after returning from the other side of the LoC, Mr. Omar said the matter is under consideration of the State Government.
In reply to another question by Shameem Firdous of NC, the Chief Minister said it is not a fact that relatives of persons accused of or involved in militant activities are facing hardships in obtaining Home department NOCs for preparation of various documents.
The procedure for grant of NOCs from the Home department has been streamlined so as to ensure that undue hardships is avoided in the case of those travelling for genuine reasons, he said.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200903050361.htm
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Undeniable links between Pakistan Government and LeT to keep insurgency brewing in Jammu and Kashmir, says former top US intelligence officer
The former US National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia, Paul R. Pillar, said there is an undeniable link between the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Pakistan Government, which saw it as a useful tool to keep insurgency brewing in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Express reports. "Lashkar-e-Toiba, or LeT, is a radical Islamist Pakistani group that has gotten, certainly in the past and there''s a question about how much it still has in the present, cooperation and sponsorship from elements of the Pakistani Government itself", Pillar said. "The Government saw it as a useful tool, particularly with regard to confronting the Indians in Kashmir and keeping an insurgency in Kashmir brewing", he added. "The official sponsorship is no longer there. The remaining question is to what degree there may be individuals or elements, particularly in the Pakistani military, that may have some continued relationship with the group," Pillar added.
Meanwhile, Pillar also said that LeT shares the general ideology in many respects of al Qaeda, although operationally they have been focused more on Jammu and Kashmir and now within Pakistan itself.
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=3/6/2009#12
The former US National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia, Paul R. Pillar, said there is an undeniable link between the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Pakistan Government, which saw it as a useful tool to keep insurgency brewing in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Express reports. "Lashkar-e-Toiba, or LeT, is a radical Islamist Pakistani group that has gotten, certainly in the past and there''s a question about how much it still has in the present, cooperation and sponsorship from elements of the Pakistani Government itself", Pillar said. "The Government saw it as a useful tool, particularly with regard to confronting the Indians in Kashmir and keeping an insurgency in Kashmir brewing", he added. "The official sponsorship is no longer there. The remaining question is to what degree there may be individuals or elements, particularly in the Pakistani military, that may have some continued relationship with the group," Pillar added.
Meanwhile, Pillar also said that LeT shares the general ideology in many respects of al Qaeda, although operationally they have been focused more on Jammu and Kashmir and now within Pakistan itself.
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=3/6/2009#12
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More Kargils if Kashmir remains unresolved: Musharraf
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, considered the architect of the 1999 Kargil war, has warned that there could be more such conflicts if the “key dispute” and “sore point” Kashmir remains unresolved for long.
The retired Army General, who ruled Pakistan for nine years till last August after seizing power in a bloodless coup, acknowledged that there are a "lots of 'mujahideen' in Pakistani society" and "freelance jehadis" who have "emotional involvement" with the cause of Kashmiris.
Playing a peacenik as he faced a barrage of uncomfortable questions from a combative audience at a media event in New Delhi last night, he said the leaderships of the two countries need to take “bold” and “affirmative” decisions to address the core dispute of Kashmir.
He said India and Pakistan have caused "immense" damage to each other over the past six decades and they needed to “overcome the burden of history” and move towards peaceful relations by adopting realistic approach to addressing disputes.
During the marathon three-hour long interaction, he appeared agitated at times by the questions which touched issues like why terrorism continues to emanate from Pakistan, why Kargil happened, why Dawood Ibrahim is not being handed over and whether India can trust Pakistani army and ISI.
Noting that he was expecting "hostile" questions at the event considering the new chill in Indo-Pak relations, he deflected and ducked the tough ones, including the one about reason behind the Kargil aggression if he had wanted peace.
"It is a sensitive issue, I will not comment on it," said the then Army Chief, who was behind the Kargil aggression, when Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh asked as to why Pakistan indulged in such an act if he was for peace.
Singh was reminding Musharraf that the Kargil aggression by Pakistan occurred soon after the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee undertook a peace bus ride to Lahore.
"Yeh usi cheez (Kashmir issue) ki kadi hai aur chalti jayegi (It is part of the same chain and will continue). If the problem (of Kashmir) continues, there will be more Kargils,” Musharraf said.
He said he had already explained his position on Kargil issue in his book -- ‘In the Line of Fire´.
"Kashmir remains a key dispute and sore point," he maintained. He recalled that when he was at the helm of affairs in Pakistan he had proposed four-point formula to resolve the issue and it had helped.
Suggesting that Kashmir problem was the main reason for terrorism in India, he said Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad came into being “because of sympathies” in Pakistan for the people of Kashmir.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Story...ils+if+Kashmir+remains+unresolved:+Musharraf+
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, considered the architect of the 1999 Kargil war, has warned that there could be more such conflicts if the “key dispute” and “sore point” Kashmir remains unresolved for long.
The retired Army General, who ruled Pakistan for nine years till last August after seizing power in a bloodless coup, acknowledged that there are a "lots of 'mujahideen' in Pakistani society" and "freelance jehadis" who have "emotional involvement" with the cause of Kashmiris.
Playing a peacenik as he faced a barrage of uncomfortable questions from a combative audience at a media event in New Delhi last night, he said the leaderships of the two countries need to take “bold” and “affirmative” decisions to address the core dispute of Kashmir.
He said India and Pakistan have caused "immense" damage to each other over the past six decades and they needed to “overcome the burden of history” and move towards peaceful relations by adopting realistic approach to addressing disputes.
During the marathon three-hour long interaction, he appeared agitated at times by the questions which touched issues like why terrorism continues to emanate from Pakistan, why Kargil happened, why Dawood Ibrahim is not being handed over and whether India can trust Pakistani army and ISI.
Noting that he was expecting "hostile" questions at the event considering the new chill in Indo-Pak relations, he deflected and ducked the tough ones, including the one about reason behind the Kargil aggression if he had wanted peace.
"It is a sensitive issue, I will not comment on it," said the then Army Chief, who was behind the Kargil aggression, when Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh asked as to why Pakistan indulged in such an act if he was for peace.
Singh was reminding Musharraf that the Kargil aggression by Pakistan occurred soon after the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee undertook a peace bus ride to Lahore.
"Yeh usi cheez (Kashmir issue) ki kadi hai aur chalti jayegi (It is part of the same chain and will continue). If the problem (of Kashmir) continues, there will be more Kargils,” Musharraf said.
He said he had already explained his position on Kargil issue in his book -- ‘In the Line of Fire´.
"Kashmir remains a key dispute and sore point," he maintained. He recalled that when he was at the helm of affairs in Pakistan he had proposed four-point formula to resolve the issue and it had helped.
Suggesting that Kashmir problem was the main reason for terrorism in India, he said Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad came into being “because of sympathies” in Pakistan for the people of Kashmir.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Story...ils+if+Kashmir+remains+unresolved:+Musharraf+
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