India halts fight against militants

Indian troops will continue fighting other militant groups

Indian troops have been ordered to stop fighting the main Islamic separatist group in Kashmir, the Hizbul Mujahideen, after it declared a unilateral ceasefire earlier in the week.

A senior Indian army officer, General JR Mukherjee, said his troops had suspended all operations against the group, but would continue fighting against other militant forces.

The army will work with everyone towards restoring peace

General JR Mukherjee

The authorities in Pakistan gave a cautious welcome to the announcement. A foreign ministry spokesman said it was for the Kashmiri separatist groups themselves to decide how to respond.

The announcement of the Indian ceasefire comes a day after the Indian Government offered to open formal peace talks with Hizbul Mujahideen and other Kashmiri militants.

The moves are being seen as a significant breakthrough in the long-running dispute over Kashmir.

General Mukherjee said the Hizbul Mujahideen's offer of a three-month ceasefire earlier this week "reflects the wishes of the people of Kashmir who are tired of militancy and want to live a normal life. The army will work with everyone towards restoring peace."

Other militant groups have condemned Hizbul Mujahideen's ceasefire offer and have vowed to carry on fighting.

'Permanent settlement'

The Indian Government's formal offer of talks failed to insist on the pre-conditions previously stipulated by Delhi - including the fact that negotiations could only be held within the framework of the Indian constitution.

This describes Indian-administered Kashmir as Indian territory and is unacceptable to pro-separatists.

Indian patrol: Kashmir has been a cause of tension between India and Pakistan

Indian Home Minister LK Advani urged Kashmiri militants to respond positively to Delhi's invitation for peace talks.

"There is naturally a measure of caution, but we expect the Hizbul Mujahideen leaders to come overground and express their willingness to talk," Mr Advani said.

Abdul Gani Bhat, the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), an umbrella organisation of all the separatist groups, on Saturday welcomed the government's invitation to talks, and said that if Delhi's offer were realised, there was now hope of a permanent settlement to the crisis.

Cautious Islamabad

The official line in Islamabad is that it is up to the APHC to assess and evaluate their strategy for the struggle for self-determination.

A spokesman for the foreign ministry stressed Pakistan supported Kashmiri self-determination but had no say in the ceasefire decision.

"The Kashmiri leadership is the best judge of how they proceed. It is for the freedom fighters in Kashmir to decide how best to carry forward their struggle," the spokesman said.

In his only direct comment, the spokesman described the development as positive, but said Pakistan would like to wait and see if the Indian authorities were sincere in resolving the Kashmir dispute to the satisfaction of the Kashmiri people.