APHC meeting to discuss Indian talks offer: 5 killed in occupied Kashmir

20 Mar, 2004

All Parties Hurriyat Conference (Ansari faction) is to meet on Saturday to discuss New Delhi's invitation for a second round of high-level peace talks on March 27, its leader, Maulana Abbas Ansari, told AFP.
Ansari on February 25 gave India a deadline to rein in troops and end alleged repression in the disputed state, saying the alliance would pull out of the peace talks if its demands were not met.
He had on January 22 led a team of APHC leaders into first-ever talks with Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani.
At that meeting, Advani gave assurances that Kashmiris human rights would be respected.
However, just weeks later his pledge was called in doubt by the APHC leaders when five civilians allegedly used as human shields by the Indian occupation army were killed during a gun fight with the suspected freedom fighters in occupied Kashmir.
The Peoples Political Front of Fazal Haque Qureshi, one of the five groups who attended the first set of talks, had already pulled out of future meetings.
However, sources indicated the other leaders were preparing to make the trek back to Delhi.
"We have taken a decision to take the peace process forward. Tomorrow (Saturday) we will discuss the points to be put forward during the talks," a senior APHC man told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, violence claimed another five lives in occupied Kashmir, despite ongoing peace moves between India and Pakistan.
Suspected freedom fighters killed two occupation policemen and injured two others in two separate encounters in southern Poonch and central Budgam districts on Friday, police said.
Indian occupation troops, meanwhile, killed three freedom fighters in the southern districts of Pulwama and Anantnag, police said.

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