Kashmiri shot dead during protest against Indian premier

By Jawed Naqvi

Source: "The Dawn", daily from Karachi

NEW DELHI, Oct 10: Police in the Kashmir Valley gunned down a protester on Friday ahead of a visit to Srinagar by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that coincides with the arrival here on Saturday of Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani.

Widespread protests by Kashmiris have begun to include President Asif Ali Zardari as one of the targets and according to reports from the Valley angry crowds burnt his effigies after Friday prayers in at least two separate places in Srinagar.

Mr Zardari is in bad odour in the Valley because of his perceived aloofness from the Kashmiri cause. Sources say his reported description of armed Kashmiri militants as “terrorists” who had to be weeded out has added a new dimension in bilateral talks such as the one Mr Durrani is expected to hold with focus on a wider definition of terrorism.

Mr Yasin Malik, the head of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, for example, told Dawn from Srinagar that though he was not into burning effigies of leaders he could understand the anger being expressed by the Kashmiri masses.“The first point to note is that the entire protest over the last several months has been peaceful. Not a single Kashmiri has resorted to violence even as their anger has spilled over in massive demonstrations,” Mr Malik said.

“The second point to note is that Prime Minister Singh had promised when he visited us two years ago that he would have zero tolerance for human rights abuses in Kashmir. What we have experienced instead is a surge in abuses by police and security forces. Unarmed, peaceful demonstrators are facing them stoically.”

How Mr Durrani handles President Zardari’s perceived U-turn on Kashmir even as he discusses the spurt in terror attacks within India and Pakistan will be one part of his objective. The other will be to set the date for the next meeting of the India-Pakistan anti-terror mechanism during his five-day visit.

There is a request pending for a meeting with Prime Minister Singh, which could give him a first hand indication of the way India wants to move head on the Kashmir issue.

Mr Durrani who enjoys the status of a federal minister will hold talks with his Indian counterpart M.K. Narayanan on Monday. They are expected to discuss the dates for the remaining items in the fifth round of the composite dialogue that was launched by the foreign secretaries of the two countries in July.

According to some reports they could also focus on India’s suspicions about the alleged complicity of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI in the July 7 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul.

Mr Durrani’s visit follows an affirmation by Mr Zardari last month to Mr Singh of Islamabad’s January 2004 pledge not to allow Pakistani territory to be used for terrorist activities against India.

During the talks, New Delhi will also raise its concerns about ceasefire violations and cross-border infiltration along the LoC. Mr Durrani is expected to call on Mr Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee before returning home on Wednesday.