December 15, 2008	Monday	Zilhaj 16, 1429

KHUNDRU, Dec 14: India’s prime minister said on Sunday he wanted normalised relations with Pakistan amid rising tensions between the South Asian rivals following Mumbai attacks that left more than 160 people dead.

Addressing an election rally in occupied Kashmir, Mr Manmohan Singh said he hoped relations between the neighbours could be “normalised,” but this could not happen until “our neighbour stops allowing its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India.”

Mr Singh travelled to Khundru town in Kashmir after a breakfast meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in New Delhi. The two leaders discussed the attacks on Mumbai, which have been blamed on a Pakistani-based Kashmiri militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba.

India has called on Pakistan to crack down on militant groups operating out of Pakistan.

Pakistan has carried out raids on a charity linked to Lashkar, but also urged India to provide further evidence.

Thousands of soldiers used barbed wire and metal barricades to seal off all approach roads to Khundru ahead of Mr Singh’s visit.

The prime minister addressed the rally ahead of the sixth of seven rounds of voting in state elections. The elections for held Kashmir’s state legislature started on Nov 17 and end Dec 24. Voters cast their ballots in the fifth phase on Saturday as scattered clashes between protesters and government forces left one person dead.

Khundru lies just south of Srinagar and it was largely deserted on Sunday in response to a strike called by All Parties Hurriyet Conference to protest against Mr Singh’s visit.—AP