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Kashmir Crisis Talks End Without Concrete Agreement
BBC NEWS
September 15, 2010: Analysts say the protests are the biggest security challenge to Indian rule in 20 years. Talks chaired by Indian PM Manmohan Singh over continuing violence in Kashmir have concluded as police shot dead four more demonstrators. The meeting ended with agreement to send a fact-finding team to the region. But there was little headway made over whether or not to lift 20-year-old emergency laws that shield Indian forces from prosecution. The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main regional parties from Kashmir, among others, attended the talks.
The negotiations concluded with the commitment to send the fact-finding mission and by stating that the Indian constitution "provides ample scope to accommodate any legitimate political demand through dialogue, civil discourse and peaceful negotiations".
No date was given for the mission's visit, however, and there were few details as to its remit, other than an order to meet different sections of the population and gather all shades of opinion.
Separatist leaders dismissed the gathering as a public relations ploy. "The meeting is a cosmetic and half-hearted measure," said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. "Our focus continues to be on the bigger issue of resolving the Kashmir dispute."
Nearly 100 protesters have died in anti-India protests since June and the entire Kashmir Valley is under curfew. Nearly all of those killed were shot dead by government forces.
The prime minister told Wednesday's meeting at his home in the Indian capital, Delhi: "The only path a for lasting peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir is through dialogue and discussion. We are ready for dialogue with anybody or any group that does not espouse or practice violence." He added: "I was shocked and distressed to see young men and women - even children - joining the protests on the streets."
A BBC correspondent in Delhi says there is a sense of confusion among politicians - and no consensus about how to respond to the unrest.
Summer Of Discontent
• On 11 June, a 17-year-old student dies after being hit by a tear gas shell during a protest in Srinagar
• Violent anti-India street protests erupt across the region
• Muslim separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is placed under house arrest
• On 7 September a curfew is imposed in Srinagar by Indian authorities
• Death toll from protests rises to 69 by early September
• Reports of Koran desecration in the US trigger fresh protests on 13 September, leaving 15 more dead
