SRINAGAR, 17 August — A fresh initiative aimed at resolving the decades-old conflict over Kashmir kicked off here yesterday when a private committee backed by the government began talks with separatist leaders.

The newly-formed Kashmir Committee, headed by former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani, arrived in Srinagar yesterday morning and went straight into talks with Shabir Shah, leader of the Democratic Freedom Party.

At the end of the meeting, Shah said Jethmalani had brought an invitation for talks with the government from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his deputy L. K. Advani, which he had accepted. “I have accepted the offer of a dialogue made to me by the prime minister and the deputy prime minister,” but added he would not contest next month’s legislative elections. “If the aim of my life was to fight elections and get into power politics, then I wouldn’t have spent so many years suffering in prison,” Shah said.

“If the government is bent upon holding elections, they can go ahead,” he added.

Shah said he had told the committee members that all the imprisoned separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani should be released.

“I also brought to their notice that human rights violations in Kashmir must be stopped immediately. I leave it to the committee to convince the Indian prime minister and deputy prime minister to work out steps as to how violence can be addressed while looking for a permanent and negotiated peace in the state,” Shah said.

Shah is the only separatist leader not affiliated to the main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), which the committee is scheduled to meet on Saturday.

Jethmalani told reporters before going into the talks that he was “optimistic” that his seven-member committee — which also comprises two newspaper editors — will be able to make some headway in resolving the seemingly intractable problem of the future of Kashmir.

The Himalayan state is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, while separatists are either demanding it be given its independence or be fully incorporated into Pakistan. Militants 13 years ago launched an armed campaign against Indian rule, which has so far claimed thousands of lives.

Further muddying the waters is an upcoming election in Kashmir for the state legislature, which the separatists have said they will boycott and the militants have vowed to disrupt.

With just one month to go before the controversial legislative polls begin in Kashmir, Chief Electoral Officer Pramod Jain is convinced a “free and fair” atmosphere will prevail in the state come voting day.

“This election is going to be a very momentous and a very important one in the history of the state,” said Jain.

“In a way, it is probably the most difficult election in the Republic of India after independence,” he said.

However, many voters in Kupwara, one of the six rural districts which will go to the polls when the four-part exercise begins on Sept. 16, are equally convinced the atmosphere will be anything but “free and fair”.

“There has been a history of rigging in Kashmir,” said Ghulam Nabi, a businessman of Kupwara, 100 km north of Srinagar.

“Why should this time be any different? They are not allowing in foreign observers — what has the Indian government got to hide?”

Unemployed Muhammad Afzal claimed that in the previous election for the state legislature — in 1996 — Indian soldiers had rounded up voters and had forced them to go to the polling booths.

“The intimidation has begun already,” said Afzal, claiming — along with many other residents — that soldiers had forced all drivers in Kupwara to attach Indian flags to their vehicles in the run-up to the Independence Day on Aug. 15.

Apart from the claimed harassment by the security officials, locals in the picturesque Himalayan town have many other concerns.

“This time they are using the new electronic voting machines,” said trader Muhammad Ramzan Amin. “We don’t trust them.”

The distrust stems from the belief that there is nothing to stop officials pushing the electronic button as many time as they like for non-existent voters.