SRINAGAR/JAMMU, 13 November — Kashmir’s main separatist alliance yesterday proposed a joint cease-fire by India, Pakistan and Kashmiri groups to pave the away for peace talks over the disputed Himalayan region where violence has escalated in recent weeks.

"Hurriyat proposes negotiations involving India, Pakistan and the true representatives of Jammu and Kashmir," Abdul Gani Bhat, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, told a news conference.

"We propose that India, Pakistan and other people concerned (fighters) conjointly declare a cease-fire ...and finally the resolution of the conflict in a time frame. It has to be borne in mind that this will be a simultaneous process." Tensions between India and Pakistan have been mounting over Kashmir.

New Delhi blames Islamabad for the violence but Pakistan says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris.

Hurriyat said it would ask Kashmiris to take to the streets if Indian forces did not stop human rights violations in the valley.

"Enough is enough and the Hurriyat has decided that we may call upon the people to come to the streets if things do not improve, if the state does not stop terrorism," Bhat said. Meanwhile, in New Delhi, Defense Minister George Fernandes yesterday renewed India’s opposition to any third-party mediation between New Delhi and Islamabad over the 54-year-old Kashmir dispute.

"As far as Kashmir is concerned there is nothing where any third party can come into the picture," Fernandes told reporters in New Delhi.

"Kashmir is an issue which India has to resolve because a large part of Kashmir is in the hands of Pakistan and some of it is gifted by Pakistan to China. That is the dispute as far as India is concerned," Fernandes said.

Fernandes’ statement came even as media reports said Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf had requested the United States to help resolve the Kashmir dispute.

Washington has called for dialogue between India and Pakistan and for the Kashmir dispute to be resolved taking into account Kashmiris’ aspirations.

Many in Kashmir view the joint Pakistan-US communiqué as an indication of oncoming American intervention on an issue that has bedeviled relations between Delhi and Islamabad. The communiqué issued in New York after a 40-minute meeting between US President George W. Bush and Musharraf, stressing the need for an India-Pakistan dialogue and a solution to the Kashmir problem as per the "wishes of the people of the state," has angered some politicians here. "It was uncalled for," Harshdev Singh, a senior leader of National Panthers Party and a member of the legislative assembly said.

The Americans, he said, have "once again shown that they can go to any length in seeking to satisfy their self-interests. The reference to Kashmir was uncalled for." He was referring to perceived American support for Pakistan’s stand on the Kashmir issue to placate Islamabad for its continued help in the US-led strikes against Afghanistan. Singh was echoing the sentiment of pro-India political parties in Jammu and Kashmir. Congress party leaders were peeved and felt that the US was trying to seek a greater role in Kashmir.

"Its strategic interests in the region have widened after the Sept. 11 attacks. And it would make all attempts to gain a foothold in the region through its ally Pakistan," said M.R. Sharma, a former minister and senior Congress leader in the state.

Washington’s intentions were suspect, he said. "The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party-led central) government has failed to stall such diplomatic disasters for the country," he added.

Another Hurriyat leader yesterday accused the government of making an abortive attempt on his life in Srinagar earlier this month. Abdul Gani Lone said a Nov. 1 attack on his home was an assassination bid either by Delhi or the state administration of Kashmir.

In another development, separatist leaders yesterday said they were willing to contest polls in Kashmir provided they are held under the supervision of the United Nations or the United States.