The News, 8 June 2010,
SLAMABAD: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said ìwe wish to carry forward the dialogue process in the regionî.
Addressing the convocation at the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology on Monday, the Indian prime minister said meaningful talks with Pakistan could lead to resolution of “old issues” and were in India’s interests. Without naming Pakistan, Singh said it should help in creating an
environment in which people from both sides of the LoC could live in peace and harmony and work together. Singh arrived in Srinagar on a two-day visit to review the security situation and inspect development projects.
Singh said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had assured him that Pakistan’s soil would not be used against India. Meanwhile, Manmohan Singh repeated an offer of talks to the Kashmiri separatists, who shun violence, seeking peace in the restive region.
Indian troops have been “strictly instructed” to respect human rights in Kashmir, Manmohan Singh said. Hardline separatists called a general strike to protest against Singh’s visit, which comes amid heightened tensions since the killing of three civilians in April by the military.
The strike closed shops, schools, offices and banks in Srinagar and other towns in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. “Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been strictly instructed to respect human rights of the civilians,” Singh said.
“We will act to remove any deficiency in the implementation of those instructions,” he said. Roads leading to the conference venue in Srinagar were closed, with thousands of soldiers and paramilitary troopers deployed in the area.
Singh said New Delhi was ready to hold talks with Kashmiris “who are against violence.” He was referring to moderate separatists who have held several rounds of talks with New Delhi in the past but oppose further negotiations until tough security laws are repealed, troops withdrawn from civilian areas and human rights respected.
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