Militants to step up Kashmir attacks

Many Kashmiris were hoping violence would end

Militant groups have vowed to step up their attacks on Indian forces in Kashmir in the wake of the Agra summit.

Militants are fighting to end Indian rule

Syed Salahuddin, the head of the United Jihad Council which groups together 15 militant groups in Pakistani Kashmir, said the "rigid and unrealistic" stand of the Indian Government had led the summit to fail.

Militant groups would now expand their attacks, he said.

And one of the most active groups, Lashkar-e Toyeba, said it would redouble its activities.

The group's leader, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, said jihad - or holy war - efforts "will be accelerated and India will be dealt with a fatal blow."

Blame

Separatist leaders in Indian-administered Kashmir have universally blamed the Indian Government for the failure of the two sides to agree a joint declaration at the end of the summit.

Musharraf and Vajpayee: Failed to issue declaration

Omer Farooq, a former chairman of the main separatist alliance, the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, said Indian "intransigence" was responsible.

And he praised the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, for focusing on Kashmir.

He also insisted that the only way out was for India and Pakistan to seek third-party mediation - something India opposes.

Abdul Ghani Bhat, the head of the alliance, said the summit had been sabotaged by Indian "hawks."

He said that although Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had tried his best, he was under the influence of hardliners who wanted to sabotage any solution.

Pessimism

Ordinary people in Indian-administered Kashmir voiced pessimism about the future.

The failure of talks means more violence, death and destruction

Schoolboy Naveed Bashir

Government worker Hafizullah Mir said he was hoping some good news would come out of the summit.

"But when I saw the flash on Star TV that the talks had failed, I was very disappointed."

Schoolboy Naveed Bashir said he was hoping the talks might lead to peace so that he could go trekking with his friends in the mountains, which his parents had forbidden because of violence in the territory.

"Unfortunately, the failure of talks means more violence, death and destruction," he said.