Travel  |  Business World  |  Women's World  |  Entertainment

Change Your Life!

Separatist leaders criticize Indian govt for delaying visit to Pakistan

News
Sports
Chat
Travel
Dhaka Today
Yellow Pages
Higher Education
Ask a Doctor
Weather
Currency Rate
Horoscope
E-Cards
B2K Poll
Comment on the Site
B2K Club

January 21, 2001 

SRINAGAR--(AP) - Kashmir's main separatist alliance on Saturday strongly criticized the Indian government for the delay in providing travel documents to its leaders to visit Pakistan to find an acceptable solution to the Kashmir dispute.

"If the peace process fails, the blame will lie on the Indian government," said a statement by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference after a seven-hour meeting in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu-Kashmir state.

"We are not adamant about going to Pakistan," the statement said.

International concerns are mounting over India and Pakistan's bloody rivalry over Kashmir - which both claim in its entirety - since both claim to possess nuclear weapons. They had tested nuclear devices in 1998.

At least 30,000 people have been killed in India-controlled Kashmir since an Islamic uprising began in 1989. Human rights activists say the death toll is closer to 60,000.

Five Hurriyat leaders had planned to leave for Islamabad on Jan. 15 to hold consultations with the Pakistan government and Pakistan-based United Jehad council, a grouping of 14 Islamic militant groups fighting Indian security forces in Kashmir.

Apparently unhappy with the Hurriyat packing the delegation with pro-Pakistan hard-liners, the Indian government has delayed the visit by denying them the travel documents.

The Indian government says that the Hurriyat leaders' request was being considered by the home ministry.

A temporary cease-fire declared by India against the guerrillas is due to expire on Jan. 26.

The Hurriyat leaders' proposed visit to Pakistan had raised hopes of India's peace initiative moving forward with various parties to the dispute opening a dialogue.

The guerrilla groups' rejection of the cease-fire has irked India. The rebels have intensified their attacks on Indian targets, including the 17th century Red Fort in New Delhi and the Srinagar airport, since the cease-fire began on Nov. 28.

"The Indian government doesn't want the peace process to continue. I think they don't want the Hurriyat leaders to Pakistan," said the Hurriyat chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat before the meeting began Saturday.

"The Hurriyat wants the peace process to continue for a peaceful solution to the Kashmir problem, " he told reporters.

Pakistan responded to India's temporary cease-fire by stopping firing artillery guns on Indian army positions across the cease-fire line that divides Kashmir between the hostile neighbors.

Pakistan also withdrew 600-700 troops from its side of the volatile border of Kashmir, the flashpoint of two wars between the South Asian nuclear powers.