SRINAGAR, 18 November 2004 — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Kashmir yesterday was marred by a gunbattle between rebels and security forces in which two separatists were killed. Manmohan offered a multibillion-dollar plan for peace to Kashmiris as he pulled an army battalion out of the insurgency-hit state and hinted at further troop cuts.
“I have a dream and a firm belief that we can and we shall build a new Kashmir which will become a symbol of peace, hope, prosperity,” Manmohan said on his first visit to the Himalayan valley since taking office in May.
“I have already given instructions to reduce troops in Kashmir and if violence goes down and if infiltration (of militants) ends it will become easier for me to reduce forces further,” he told students here.
Manmohan repeated his peace message at a rally at Srinagar’s main cricket stadium at which he unveiled a $5.3 billion “economic revival plan”.
As the crowd of thousands chanted “Give us jobs before peace,” Manmohan said at least 24,000 jobs would be created. “New houses, new schools, new hospitals, new railway lines and more power needs to be generated, more phone connections, better irrigation has to be provided,” Manmohan said.
He explained at a press conference that the plan would revitalize the state’s ailing tourism industry and also focus on agriculture and education.
“The successful implementation of the plan would require improved governance, transparent and corruption free administration, peace, security and the rule of law, fiscal responsibility and economic pricing of public utilities,” Manmohan said.
The package would more than double the state’s annual budget. Despite the upbeat tone, the visit skirted disaster when a deadly gunbattle erupted at the scene of the rally and continued as Manmohan’s flight landed.
Two militants were shot dead, a senior Border Security Force officer told reporters. Sporadic shooting crackled out for about three hours after a troop patrol first came under fire, despite a security blanket thrown over Srinagar.
A strike called by a hard-line separatist faction in protest at the visit kept virtually all shops and businesses closed, reporters said.
Manmohan’s open-air address was delayed several hours but went ahead as did the first troop pullout when 1,000 paratroopers left Anantnag in a convoy of trucks and buses. “The first batch of troops commenced de-induction from the valley on Nov. 17,” defense spokesman R.K. Sen announced.
Kashmir’s chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said people in the region were “happy” at the troop withdrawal. “It should have an impact on the overall situation in the state,” he said.
Pakistan also welcomed the first withdrawal of Indian troops from Kashmir, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan terming it “a positive development and a good beginning.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is due in New Delhi next week for talks and another round of dialogue is set for the end of the month.
In a nod to separatists, Manmohan also renewed a promise to hold “unconditional dialogue” with “anyone and everyone in the state who abjures violence.”
