Militants urged to join peace process

A day after Indian officials held unprecedented talks with commanders of Kashmir's biggest separatist rebel group, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday urged other militant groups there to join peace talks.

"It is futile for them to continue on the path of violence," he told Parliament. "They should come forward for talks with the Government for redress of their grievances."

Mr Vajpayee briefed the legislature on his visit on Thursday to Pahalgam, scene of the worst in a series of attacks throughout Kashmir on Tuesday and Wednesday which left more than 100 people dead.

He said his Government would pursue peace talks in Kashmir and would not bow to terrorist forces there.

In Srinagar on Thursday, government officials and field commanders of the largest separatist militant group, Hezb-ul Mujahedeen, agreed to set up negotiating teams to thrash out a formal ceasefire.

The talks were brought about by Hezb-ul's declaration last week of a unilateral three-month ceasefire, which led New Delhi to suspend counter-insurgency operations.

Indian troops yesterday stepped up patrols near the Line of Control dividing Indian Kashmir from Pakistan-held Kashmir, on the second day of a military operation to hunt down militants responsible for the week's massacres. Helicopters scoured mountain and jungle areas.

Mr Vajpayee told Parliament a pro-Pakistan militant group carried out the attacks. "The perpetrators of these heinous crimes were foreigners. Arms and ammunition recovered from them clearly establish their links with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba," he said.