Kashmir moderates in talks threat

Mr Ansari has set a deadline for the violence to end

Moderate Kashmiri separatists have threatened to pull out of peace talks with the Indian government over alleged human rights violations in the state.

They allege that Indian soldiers in Kashmir have been involved in a series of violations including deaths in custody and the molesting of women.

The moderates of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, held landmark talks last month with deputy premier, LK Advani.

More than 35,000 people have died in over a decade of violence in Kashmir.

The state has been claimed by both India and Pakistan since partition in 1947.

Hurriyat chairman Moulvi Abbas Ansari told a news conference in Srinagar that human rights violations were taking place despite instructions by Mr Advani that troops should respect human rights during counter-insurgency operations.

"We will wait until the end of February to see whether there is any change in the human rights situation in Kashmir. If we don't find any change we will pull out of talks with New Delhi," he said.

Violence

Mr Advani had last week convened a meeting of the heads of Indian security forces in Delhi where he reviewed the human rights situation in the state.

Landmark peace talks took place in January

It followed the killing of five Kashmiri civilians during an exchange between Indian forces and suspected militants.

The soldiers were alleged to have used the civilians as human shields, a charge they denied.

Earlier, another Hurriyat leader, Fazl Haq Qureshi, announced that he was walking out of the talks as a mark of protest against the human rights situation in the state.

Mr Qureshi was part of Hurriyat's five-member delegation which had held the first round of talks with the deputy prime minister.

Earlier this month, Indian and Pakistani officials began a series of talks to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries, including Kashmir.

In November, India and Pakistan, who fought two wars over Kashmir, agreed to a ceasefire along their shared border.

However, the fighting between Indian security forces and Kashmir separatists continues.