War of Words Erupts Between India, Pakistan Over Recent Kashmir Violence | Voice of America - English
A war of words has erupted between India and Pakistan over the recent violence that has engulfed Indian Kashmir.
Anti-Indiaprotests that turned violent in Indian Kashmir this week have becomethe focus of bitter exchanges between India and Pakistan. NewDelhi has slammed comments by Pakistani leaders, who have condemnedwhat they say are "gross human rights violations" in the region, wheremore than 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured indemonstrations in recent days. Late Wednesday, Pakistan'sparliament approved a resolution condemning the "excessive and brutal"use of force by Indian security forces against Muslim protestors inIndian Kashmir. Pakistani lawmakers also called on the internationalcommunity and the United Nations to take note of the deterioratingsituation in the region. Hours later, in a national address,Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf criticized what he called thesuppression of oppressed people in Kashmir. Indian foreign ministry spokesman, Navtej Sarna, says such comments by Pakistani leaders are "deeply objectionable." "Weare witnessing a recurrence of Pakistani rhetoric and allegations thatare factually wrong and that bear no relationship to reality," saidSarna. "To call for international involvement in the sovereign internalaffairs of India is gratuitous, illegal, and only reflects a reversionto a mindset that has led to no good consequences for Pakistan in thepast." Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan, has been aflashpoint between the two countries, who have fought two of three warsover the region. But a peace process begun four years ago hadlowered tensions between the rivals, and helped restore calm in IndianKashmir, which had been wracked by a violent separatist rebellion since1989. However, the situation in the Muslim-dominated Kashmirvalley is again volatile. There were civilian casualties on Thursdaywhen security forces opened fire to disperse stone-throwingdemonstrators who defied a curfew in Srinagar. It has been thefourth straight day that the region has witnessed mass protests byMuslims who have been pouring into the streets across the Kashmirvalley demanding independence from India. The protests havesnowballed over a plot of land in the Kashmir valley, whose allotmentto a Hindu religious trust was canceled following objections byMuslims. Angry Hindus who dominate the state's Jammu region, launched demonstrations demanding the land back. Thedispute has pitted the Hindus in Jammu versus the Muslims in theKashmir valley. It has also revived the anti India slogans that used toring across the valley in the 1990s when the separatist rebellion was at its height.