Pakistan rejects Kashmir charge

Mr Patil (left) accused Islamabad of "exerting pressure"

Pakistan has strongly rebutted Indian allegations that Islamabad is derailing its efforts to start talks with Kashmiri separatists.

A Pakistani spokesman said his country was exerting no outside pressure but was demanding comprehensive talks.

A senior Kashmiri separatist leader has also denied coming under pressure from Pakistan.

On Sunday Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the separatists were under pressure to stay away from peace talks.

'Internal problem'

"There are indications that Pakistan is exerting pressure on [separatist] leaders not to resume dialogue with India till Pakistan is also included in the talks as a third party," Mr Patil had said in a written statement.

We want to make these talks result oriented, but you have to associate Kashmiris at some point. Masood Khan Pakistani spokesman

India maintains that Kashmir is an internal problem and that there is no place for any third party either in talks between the separatists and the Indian government or those between Delhi and Islamabad.

But the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Monday that while they were not exerting any pressure, the talks should be comprehensive.

"We want to make these talks result oriented, but you have to associate Kashmiris at some point," foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan said.

"Therefore, if the Kashmiris are saying that they want to talk to Pakistan their wishes should be respected."

Denial

In Indian-administered Kashmir, senior separatist leader Moulvi Mohammad Abbas Ansari said the separatists were not under anybody's orders.

He said the separatists were in favour of dialogue adding that: "Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan) have to be taken into confidence."

In an interview published on Monday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his government was willing "to look at all options" to solve the long-running Kashmir dispute with Pakistan.

Violence in Kashmir has come down

"So long as Pakistan remains committed [to ending cross-border terrorism] we are willing to look at all possible ways of resolving issues including Jammu and Kashmir," Mr Singh told the Financial Times.

Last month Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf outlined a series of radical proposals to solve the Kashmir issue - including demilitarising the region and jointly administering the territory.

Truce

During a visit to Kashmir over the weekend, Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil offered to allow separatists to travel to Pakistan - one of their key demands.

Mr Patil said infiltration of militants into Indian-administered Kashmir from Pakistani-controlled territory has dropped but has not completely stopped.

He said this was largely due to the fencing of the frontier and installation of hi-tech sensors which detect human movement along the line of control.

Mr Patil said his government was satisfied with the year-long ceasefire between Indian and Pakistani troops and said if the situation improves in Indian Kashmir, his government could consider putting in place an "internal truce".

Meanwhile the authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir say unidentified gunmen have shot and wounded Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in-law of the hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Police said Mr Shah, himself a political activist, was praying at a mosque in Srinagar, when shots were fired through a window.

He is said to have been hit in the neck and arm, but is not in a critical condition.

Hundreds of people have gathered outside the hospital attached to the Srinagar Medical Institute where he is being treated.