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NEW DELHI, March 20: Kashmir's All Parties Hurriyat Conference led by Moulvi Abbas Ansari on Saturday decided to hold a second round of talks with Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishan Advani on March 27.
It also decided to send a high level delegation to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on March 23, for the country's national day reception. Mr Ansari had boycotted the reception last year.
The APHC took the deicion at its executive council meeting on Saturday. A wider general council meeting is scheduled on Monday, but senior officials said there would be no change in the decision.
Senior APHC officials told Dawn from Srinagar that they would strongly convey their frustration to Mr Advani about New Delhi's failure to keep its promise to rein in human rights violations in Kashmir.
The first round of talks with Mr Advani was held in New Delhi on Feb 22. The second round, however, appeared unlikely at one time as senior Hurriyat leaders alleged human rights violations by security forces in Kashmir.-J.N.
TROOPS INJURED: At least 41 Indian troops were injured in a blast on Saturday in Kashmir, army officials said, AFP adds.
An army spokesman said 41 soldiers were hurt, with eight suffering serious injuries, when their bus was damaged by explosives hidden on a motorbike in the northern Baramulla district.
A local police officer, however, said two of the soldiers died and Hizbul Mujahideen, in a claim of responsibility made to Kashmiri media, said it had killed 10 troops and wounded 40 more.
The renewed violence came a week ahead of a second round of talks expected between Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and moderate separatists. Some 50 people, mostly women, demonstrated in Srinagar on Saturday to protest alleged custodial killings.
