NEW DELHI, Feb 25: India’s prime minister held a day of round-table talks on Saturday with Indian Kashmiri politicians on the future of the disputed Kashmir region as separatist leaders boycotted the meeting.

“Today’s event is a significant event,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he opened the talks at his residence in the capital.

“It will however achieve historical importance if we are able to unleash a process by which we can arrive at a workable blueprint that can help to create a new chapter in Kashmir’s history,” he said.

Mr Singh had invited representatives from all three regions of India’s northernmost state, which comprises Jammu and Ladakh as well as the disputed Kashmir valley.

But separatist political leaders refused to take part, calling the talks “highly premature” as they said discussions between India, Pakistan and Kashmiris on the region had “made no headway.”

India and Pakistan have been in a slow-moving peace process since early 2004 to settle their feud over Kashmir.

Called in mid-February and held just a week before US President George W. Bush was to visit, separatists also said the conference was a hollow attempt to show Washington that India was moving to resolve the Kashmir issue.

The meeting was overshadowed by the army killing of four civilians on Wednesday in held Kashmir.

The army said the four civilians — aged between nine and 20 — died in crossfire between rebels and soldiers in Dudipora village in Kupwara district.

But residents said the victims were playing cricket and were shot after one tried to flee on seeing approaching soldiers.

“On one hand they (Indians) invite us for talks and on the other they kill our people without any reason,” said Syed Ali Geelani, head of the hardline faction of main separatist political alliance Hurriyat.

He was speaking in Srinagar.

Mr Singh said he was “grieved ... at the loss of innocent lives” and said the army had been asked to take “remedial measures” so such incidents do not recur.—AFP