SRINAGAR, Sept 26: Occupied Kashmir’s chief minister called on Monday for restoration of telephone links with Pakistan to further an ongoing peace process. India barred calls from occupied Kashmir to Pakistan in 1992 to thwart the insurgency in the region.
But Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said the links should be restored as part of a peace process begun in January 2004 between India and Pakistan that has led to renewed contacts in Kashmir, including a bus service.
“I support the restoration of telephone link between Kashmir and different cities of Pakistan,” Mufti Sayeed said in a statement, adding that he “believes that the telephone connectivity would further improve this (peace) process.”
Indian security agencies oppose restored links for fear of guerilla attacks.
TWO KILLED: Two militants were killed by Indian troops in a security sweep on the outskirts of Srinagar before the start of the autumn assembly session, an army spokesman said on Monday.
They were killed in a gunbattle on late Sunday in a raid on a suspected hideout, Indian army spokesman Vijay Batra said.
On Monday, heightened security measures were visible in Srinagar.
Police snipers occupied rooftops overlooking the legislature and the adjoining areas and spiked barricades were placed at the main gate to the legislature to prevent militants from storming the complex.
Cars and jeeps entering Srinagar were also being searched for arms and explosives, witnesses said.—AFP
