Indian opposition warns govt on Kashmir
Ap, New Delhi
An opposition leader accused India's government Sunday of trying to settle the half-century old dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir by backing away from New Delhi's long held position that the Himalayan region is an integral part of its territory. The statement came amid weekend violence in the divided region. Four suspected guerrillas were killed and three policemen wounded overnight in separate shootouts in the Indian-controlled area of Kashmir, authorities said Sunday. At the same time, two children were killed near the cease-fire line when they picked up an abandoned explosive, police said. "I would like to warn the country that the government is planning to make a major surrender" on Kashmir, LK Advani, a Hindu nationalist leader, told a meeting of his Bharatiya Janata Party in the northern city of Lucknow. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf earlier this month said Islamabad was willing to give up its claim to the entire region if India agreed to jointly administer Kashmir, which would be granted significant autonomy. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh four days ago welcomed Pakistan's peace proposals, causing speculation that the two governments may be working on a deal. There was no immediate reaction to Advani's warning from Singh's government. India, which is predominantly Hindu, and Pakistan, mainly Muslim, have fought two wars over control of Kashmir, where most of the population is Muslim, since they won independence from Britain in 1947. Nearly a dozen rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
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