A Kashmiri leader has returned to marry a Pakistani artist. Yasin Malik, 42, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, married 28-year-old painter Mushaal Mullick, who is studying at the London School of Economics on Sunday.
"There is a saying that a prayer sought from the core of the heart at the time of wedding gets fulfilled," the bearded, thin separatist said at the marriage ceremony as the bride looked on.
"The people of Kashmir, the people of Pakistan and the people of India have been suffering because of a problem since 1947. On this occasion, I pray to Almighty Allah to provide a solution to this issue, so that the people of these countries and Kashmiris live in peace." Malik, first crossed into Pakistani side of the disputed Himalayan region in 1988 to launch a militant movement against Indian rule but gave up the armed struggle in 1995 and decided to work politically for the "freedom" of Kashmir.