SRINAGAR, April 30 (2001): Seven civilians have been killed in a series of shootouts and explosions in India's strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir state in the past 24 hours, police said on Monday. They said unidentified militants shot dead on Monday three civilians in Kupwara district, 87 km (54 miles) northwest of Srinagar, the state's summer capital. Earlier on Sunday night, one civilian was killed when suspected separatist guerrillas hurled a grenade on a police station in the same district, police said. (For...

SRINAGAR, India, April 30 (2001): An influential Muslim separatist leader, known as the "Mandela of Kashmir" for his lengthy stay in Indian prisons, said Monday he was considering accepting New Delhi's invitation for peace talks. "In principle we believe in dialogue ... and when the unconditional dialogue offer was announced by New Delhi, there was no question of rejecting it outright," said Shabir Shah, chief of the Pro-Independance Freedom democratic Party. Shah, whose Kashmiri separatist activism earned him more...

JAMMU, April 30 (2001): A major fire engulfed an Indian army ammunition dump in the northern Indian state of Punjab, causing 150 million rupees (3.2 million dollars) worth of damage, a defence spokesman said Monday. The fire, which began at about 10:00 pm (1630 GMT) Sunday night at the Pathankot storage facility, was suspected to have been caused by soaring temperatures after incessant rain in the area, Colonel S.P.K Singh said. "The weather changed suddenly and the temperatures soared. We believe this caused part of...

SRINAGAR, April 29 (2001): Thirty one people were killed on Sunday in gunbattles and explosions in the strife-torn Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir, police and defence officials said. They said the dead included 16 separatist guerrillas and 11 Indian security force personnel. Police said six Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and three others were wounded when their vehicle ran over a mine near the Beerwah area of the Budgam district west of Srinagar, the summer capital of the state. The...

SRINAGAR, April 26 (2001): Kashmir's main separatist alliance rejected on Thursday an Indian invitation for peace talks to end the insurgency in the strife-torn Himalayan region unless Pakistan was included in the talks. "We consider the government of India has chosen to talk with a crowd," Abdul Gani Bhat, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference said. (For complete story write to admin@freepresskashmir.com)

SRINAGAR, April 25 (2001): Twenty-three people including three Indian soldiers were wounded on Wednesday in a series of grenade explosions in India's restive state of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. A police statement said three Indo Tibetan Border Police personnel and 17 civilians were wounded when a grenade was lobbed at an ITBP group in Bijbehara in Anantnag district on Wednesday morning. Earlier in the day, unidentified militants lobbed a grenade at a drug store in Bandipura town in north Kashmir, injuring two...

SRINAGAR, India, April 24 (2001): A boy was among 11 people killed in shootings and explosions in strife-torn Kashmir, police said on Tuesday. Four members of the Indian security force were also among the dead while 25 people were injured in the violence in the disputed Himalayan territory. Two Indo Tibetan Border Police personnel were killed and eight soldiers wounded on Tuesday when their vehicle hit a landmine in the Kokernag area, 65 km (40 miles) south of Srinagar, the state's summer capital, a police statement...

SRINAGAR, India, April 24 (2001): Two little-known militant groups have claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on the office of Kashmir's main separatist alliance, local newspapers said on Tuesday. Four people were wounded on Monday when a grenade was thrown at the office of the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference (APHC) office in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Leaders of the separatist alliance were in the building discussing whether to hold peace talks with India. (For complete...

ISLAMABAD, April 23 (2001): Pakistan on Monday condemned a grenade attack on the office of the main separatist alliance in the Indian-ruled part of the disputed Kashmir region and blamed New Delhi for the incident. Four people were wounded when the grenade was hurled on Monday at the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference (APHC) office in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-ruled Kashmir, where leaders of the alliance were discussing whether to hold peace talks with New Delhi. "The attack...is the latest attempt by...

ISLAMABAD, April 23 (2001): Pakistan strongly condemned a grenade attack on a Kashmiri separatist alliance meeting Monday, accusing India of launching a terror and intimidation campaign against the group's leaders. A foreign office spokesman said the attack was "targeted" against the general council of the the All Party Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference (APHC). "It is the latest attempt by India to intimidate the leaders of the freedom struggle against India's illegal occupation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and to...