Kashmir militants call for end to Pak violence
Afp, Srinagar
Hardline separatists in revolt-hit Indian Kashmir appealed yesterday for violence in Pakistan to end while simultaneously attacking the "unwise policies" of President Pervez Musharraf. The statement came amid a dramatic rise in Islamist violence and political turmoil in Pakistan, where a series of suicide blasts, most directed at the army, since last week's siege and raid on the pro-Taliban Red Mosque. The week-long siege left more than 100 dead, but the subsequent Islamist backlash has seen more than 200 killed in less than a week. "Every Pakistani soldier is an asset to the whole Muslim world and attacks on them sadden us deeply," Syed Ali Geelani, the head of the region's separatist political alliance, said in a statement. Geelani supports the integration into Pakistan of Indian Kashmir, which has been racked by a near two-decade insurgency against New Delhi's rule. India has long accused Pakistan of funding and arming the insurgency in Kashmir that has left more than 42,000 dead, according to official figures, but Pakistan refutes the charge.
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