SRINAGAR, 20 May — Home and defense ministers visited Kashmir yesterday to assess the situation in the strife-torn state, as rebels launched a grenade attack on an army camp there, officials said.
The grenade attack by suspected activists took place hours after L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh arrived aboard a special plane at 11:45 a.m. (0615 GMT) in Srinagar.
Advani is the minister for home affairs while Jaswant holds both the defense and foreign affairs portfolios. The visit, Jaswant’s first to Kashmir as defense minister, was taking place as New Delhi decides whether to extend the unilateral cease-fire, declared six months ago and due to expire later this month.
A Cabinet committee meeting on security will take place in Delhi after Advani and Jaswant’s trip, although no date has been confirmed.
Speaking to reporters the state’s Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said, “the final decision to extend or withdraw the cease-fire will be taken by the center. I gave them my assessment and the killing of my partymen by the militants during cease-fire period. I am not opposed to its extension.” Though called a cease-fire, the government initiative actually represents a suspension of some combat operations — a move which was rejected by activists and failed to bring a cessation of violence.
However, Advani said yesterday he was satisfied with the decision to declare a cease-fire in the turbulent state.
He said the initiative to launch the truce was “very correct, very sound” and he was satisfied with it.
Calls to end the cease-fire have been mounting from factions within the ruling Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Parallel to the cease-fire, Delhi last month invited Kashmiri groups for peace talks but the response has been poor so far.
Security was beefed up in and around Srinagar ahead of Advani and Jaswant’s visit.
No civilians were allowed near the lakeside conference complex where the ministers attended a meeting of the unified command, a security structure consisting of police, army, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies.
Despite the security measures a police spokesman said suspected activists had thrown a hand grenade at a lookout post in an army camp in Srinagar’s Batamaloo area yesterday.
One civilian was killed and 13 others were wounded. Two soldiers and three other civilians were in a serious condition, police said.
“Security forces have sealed the area and started search operations to arrest the militants involved in the attack,” said the police spokesman.
Despite the cease-fire, only one Kashmiri leader has shown interest in New Delhi’s offer of dialogue, Shabir Shah, who heads the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP).
Shah sought clarifications from New Delhi on the framework of possible talks. Pakistan-based activist groups as well as Kashmir’s main political separatist alliance, the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, have demanded Islamabad should be included in peace negotiations.
