India renews Kashmir talks offer

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has renewed an offer of talks with Kashmiri separatists who shun violence.
He made the comments during a visit to a university in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir.
He is on a two-day trip to the state to review development schemes. Separatists have called for a shutdown in protest.
Hundreds of thousands of Indian troops are based in Kashmir, where there has been a two decade-old insurgency against Indian rule.
Manmohan has disappointed those who expected him to announce a political package, the BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says.
"We felt that the people of the state are not only interested in financial assistance and development projects, but also desire a political process that meets their aspirations," Manmohan told Monday's gathering at the agricultural university in Srinagar.
"We want to take the dialogue process forward. We are ready to talk to representatives of all sections who are opposed to terrorism and violence," he said.
The prime minister repeated his government's policy of "zero tolerance" for human rights violations.
"The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been strictly instructed to respect the rights of the civilians. We'll act to remove any deficiency in the implementation of these instructions," he said.
The prime minister's visit came a day after the Indian army suspended a senior officer accused of killing three civilians in a staged gun battle.