Indian occupation forces said they have drawn up a new plan to tackle deadly unrest in occupied Kashmir as the government came under fire on Thursday over its handling of the crisis. The army, police and paramilitary occupation forces formulated a "joint strategy" at a meeting Wednesday to restore peace in the disputed Himalayan region where more than 90 anti-India protesters have been shot dead in three months of violence.
"The meeting discussed the measures to effectively counter the protest calendar," a statement by the military said, referring to a list of demonstrations set by Kashmiris in the region. No details were given about the action plan, which is to be implemented immediately. The death toll from three months of unrest rose to 94 on Thursday after the cousin of Yasin Malik died of injuries suffered in a clash last month, Malik's spokesman told AFP.
In New Delhi, the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh faced criticism from several commentators after a five-hour crisis meeting between political leaders held in the capital on Wednesday. The meeting broke up with a decision to send a fact-finding mission to the Muslim-majority area, which is jointly administered by India and Pakistan and an enduring source of tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
"Wars are won and insurrection defeated by leaders, not committees," wrote commentator Manoj Joshi in the Mail Today newspaper. "The Manmohan Singh government seems bent on defying this logic." Samar Halarnkar, writing in the Hindustan Times, said "the all-party meeting in Delhi has utterly failed to address the (Kashmir) valley's realities."
He warned of a two-decade insurgency in Kashmir getting a new lease of life unless the grievances of local people are addressed. All major towns in occupied Kashmir remained under curfew on Thursday for the fifth day. There was no report of violence during the night, police said.
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