Kashmiri militants deny truce offer

Indian troops must leave, says the group

A leading separatist group in Indian-administered Kashmir has denied it would lay down its arms if Indian authorities were prepared to enter a peace process.

"The armed struggle will continue until Indian forces vacate Kashmir," Salim Hashmi, a spokesman for the Hizbul Mujahideen, told reporters.

There is no scope for a second ceasefire and the armed struggle will continue until Indian forces vacate

Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Salim Hashmi

He was speaking a day after a newspaper article attributed to one of the group's leaders, Moin-ul-Islam, called for a new ceasefire if India took steps to resolve the dispute.

Mr Hashmi said the remarks, which appeared in the Greater Kashmir daily, did not reflect official policy of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

The group was trying to verify who had written the piece, he added.

"Our armed struggle can go side by side with dialogue."

Two years ago Hizbul Mujahideen declared a unilateral ceasefire, only to withdraw it a week later when India refused to involve Pakistan in talks with the group.

The Indian Government later declared its own suspension of combat operations in Kashmir, but resumed them six months later when the move met with no response from the militants.