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2008-09-13 India-Pakistan
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Fresh protests in Kashmir as leaders seek peace
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(AKI) - Pakistan's leaders have expressed fresh hope of resolving the long-running dispute with India over Kashmir as thousands of Muslim protesters staged an independence rally there on Friday.
Tens of thousands of Muslim protesters reportedly gathered in Kashmir's biggest city, Srinigar, for a rally calling for Indian authorities to leave the disputed Himalayan region.
A prominent separatist leader, Mohammed Yasin Malik, was injured in the protest after police swung batons and fired tear gas at the crowd, said Altaf Khan, a spokesman for Malik's group, the Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front. Police were reported to have used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowd that poured into the city's main square after Friday prayers.
The protests were led by several prominent separatist leaders, including Malik, who has led angry demonstrations that were among the biggest anti-India protests in decades.
Meanwhile, Pakistan' s Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani on Friday stressed the need for Pakistan and India to narrow down their differences over Kashmir and stressed that Kashmiris must be included in any dialogue. "We strongly believe that Kashmiris should be an integral component of the ongoing peace process, as they are the primary stakeholders," the prime minister said.
Gillani said the current peace process between Pakistan and India had raised peoples' expectations, and should become a symbol of peace, tranquillity and fraternity in South Asia. He mentioned frequent meetings of the Pakistani leadership with Kashmiri leaders, that reflected the government's approach on Kashmiris' involvement in peace process.
On Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari, said he hoped an atmosphere of trust could be created in which India and Pakistan could achieve a breakthrough on Kashmir. In an interview published by Pakistan's GeoNews, Zardari said his government would not depend on secret diplomacy. "All the possible solutions on Kashmir will be discussed first in a parliamentary committee on Kashmir and then the final approval will be given by the parliament," he said.
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Posted by Fred 2008-09-13 00:00||
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