SRINAGAR, 24 May 2006 — Heightened tension, depleted vehicular and pedestrian movement on roads and pronounced presence of paramilitary and police marked the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Kashmir Valley to preside over the second round-table conference here today.
Combat troops backed up border guards in Srinagar, where residents in several districts found themselves corralled into “sanitized zones” yesterday amid unprecedented security before Manmohan’s two-day trip.
“There is very tight security in view of the round-table conference and the prime minister’s visit and operations are going on across the (Kashmir) Valley,” Indian Army spokesman Lt. Col. Vijay Batra told AFP.
He said Manmohan would head straight for a meeting of security commanders to review the situation in Kashmir. Militants who have waged an insurgency since 1989 have vowed to disrupt the subsequent two days of talks aimed at restoring peace in the state.
Eight people died and 22 were wounded on Sunday when rebels opposing peace efforts attacked hundreds of people at a political event in Srinagar. The security restrictions in the city of one million led to frayed tempers as office-goers were forced to travel many extra miles on circuitous routes.
Despite extra security a civilian was killed and 34 injured, including five Indian tourists, in four separate grenade attacks by militants in Srinagar on Monday. The venue for the peace conference on the banks of Dal Lake was out of bounds to traffic yesterday. Soldiers with automatic weapons and rocket launchers patrolled the lake on powerboats.
The prospect of progress in the talks, meant to group all sides which do not espouse violence, was clouded by boycotts and threats of boycotts. The United Jehad Council, a forum of some 16 militant organizations, called a two-day general strike to coincide with Manmohan’s visit and branded the round-table talks “a sham.”
Kashmir’s opposition National Conference party was not happy either. “If there are meetings on the sidelines of the conference between Hurriyat and the prime minister then the National Conference will not participate and we will seek a meeting on the sidelines as well,” said party leader Omar Abdullah.
India’s Hindu fundamentalist BJP party rejected the round-table. “The BJP has decided not to attend the round-table conference on Kashmir in Srinagar in protest against the deteriorating law and order situation,” a BJP official said.
The Press Trust of India quoted unidentified Indian officials as rejecting the Hurriyat’s call for one-to-one talks with Manmohan.
— With input from agencies
