India Snubs Pakistan Offer of Talks
Sept. 7 -- India rebuffed an offer of talks by Pakistani military leader Pervez Musharraf today, laying the burden for solving the bitter Kashmir dispute on Pakistan.
Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said that Pakistanmust first stop cross-border terrorism before a meaningfuldialogue could resume.
“If they stop all that, then we can sit and talk,” Fernandes told reporters.
Pakistan denies charges that it supports cross-borderterrorism in Kashmir.
Fernandes was responding to Musharraf’s speech Wednesday atthe United Nations Millennium Summit where he offered India theolive branch.
“Pakistan...is prepared to take bold initiatives to change the status quo through a dialogue with India at any level, at any time and anywhere,” Musharraf said.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was scheduled toaddress the United Nations Friday but not expected to meetMusharraf.
India has consistently accused Pakistan of smuggling inarms into the country and supporting armed rebellion inKashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state.
Indian and Pakistani troops frequently exchange artillery,mortar and small arms fire along the 450-mile Line of Controlor cease-fire line which divides the bitterly disputed region.
Border Clashes in Kashmir
Both sides reported new shelling incidents in Kashmir today. India said five people, including three civilians, had been killed by shells launched in Pakistan while Pakistani officials said shelling by India killed two civilian men and wounded seven.
On Wednesday night, about 10 militants used the cover of tall grass to cross to the Indian side of the divided region about 155 miles northwest of Jammu, winter capital of India’s Jammu-Kashmir state, an army spokesman said.
“The army challenged them and asked them to surrender,” saidthe spokesman, who declined to be identified by name. He said themilitants fired at the soldiers, and two Indian soldiers and fourmilitants died in the exchange of gunfire.
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