Pakistan arrests alleged Kashmir militant leader

Hopes that another war between India and Pakistan can be averted rose today, with increasing signs that the country’s leaders will meet at an Asian summit in Nepal this week.

Earlier today, India’s External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, described the arrest of an alleged Kashmir militant leader as “a step in the right direction”, but he added that Pakistan must take more action.

Hafiz Saeed, the alleged leader of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, was arrested in Islamabad last night and charged with making inflammatory speeches and inciting violence.

Twenty-two other suspected militants were also arrested. Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, which has been fighting for independence in Kashmir for 12 years, was responsible for an attack on the parliament building in New Delhi on December 13 which left 14 people dead.

Following the attack, India began massing soldiers and armoury in Kashmir in preparation for another war with Pakistan, whom it accuses of harbouring, training and financing militants operating in Kashmir.