Explosion wrecks Kashmir pilgrimage

The pilgrimage sees up to 100,000 trek to the shrine

Twelve people have been killed and another 15 wounded in an attack by suspected Muslim militants on a Hindu pilgrimage to the cave-shrine of Amarnath, high in the Himalayas.

Indian border police say two suspected militants exploded land mines and then engaged Indian security forces in a gunbattle.

Indian security forces have been deployed to protect pilgrims

One of the militants and two policemen were killed in the exchange of fire.

The pilgrimage, which sees up to 100,000 Hindus trekking to the shrine 14,000 feet up in the Himalaya mountains, has been suspended.

Two years ago, a similar incident resulted in the deaths of more than 20 people, although an official Indian inquiry blamed over-reaction by the police for the majority of the deaths.

This year, thousands of Indian soldiers, police and paramilitary border guards have been deployed along the route to protect the Hindu pilgrims.

No Muslim militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of violent clashes that has seen almost 200 people killed in the first half of July.

General Musharraf: Kashmir the key to peace

Ten or more militant Muslim groups are fighting Indian rule in Kashmir and Jammu, regions disputed by India and Pakistan

The military ruler of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, has said there can be no peace between the two countries without a solution to the problem of Kashmir.

India's Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, replied by restating India's claim to the region.

But he also stresseed that the two sides would continue to seek peace.