War of words over Kashmir

The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan prepared to resume talks today after harsh words over the weekend threatened to complicate the wide-ranging discussions that include their decades-old dispute over Kashmir.

The talks between Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri and his Indian counterpart, Natwar Singh, adjourned in New Delhi yesterday with Islamabad denying it arms and trains a separatist insurgency in the region and accusing India of human rights abuses there.

The insurgency against Indian rule has killed more than 65,000 people, mostly civilians, since 1989. The guerrillas are fighting for Kashmir’s independence or merger with Pakistan, and India has accused Islamabad of arming and training the militants for “cross-border terrorism.”

Indian External Affairs spokesman Navtej Sarna said the infiltration of Islamic militants from Pakistan – which India’s defence minister claims is on the rise with the seasonal melting of the Himalayan snows – was “a matter of concern” raised during the meetings.

Masood Khan, Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman, said all agenda items, including the Kashmir dispute and confidence-building measures, were discussed. He denied New Delhi’s long-standing claim that Islamabad funds and trains the separatists in Kashmir.

“We reject this allegation of cross-border terrorism or that there has been any increase,” Khan said. “Kashmiris have been complaining that human rights violations by India have increased since November. It should be ended so that Kashmiris feel part of the dialogue process.”