End 'repression' for a beginning: Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 9. Four days after the Pakistan military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, advised the religious and militant outfits in the country to exercise restraint in their anti-India tirade, the Foreign Office today accused the Indian Government of stepping up ``repression'' in Kashmir and urged it to ``end the repression in order to create a positive environment for a dialogue at the summit level''.

The ostensible reason for the statement was the explosion inside the Charar-e-Sharief complex in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday in which four persons died. But what stands out in the four-para press release of the Foreign Ministry is the sweeping condemnation of the Indian forces for the alleged stepped-up violence against the people of Kashmir after the May 23 announcement from New Delhi.

Implied in the statement was the charge that the security forces stepped up operations against ``Kashmiris and freedom fighters'' after India announced withdrawal of its policy of non-initiation of combat operations and invited Gen. Musharraf for peace talks.

The Foreign Office alleged that Friday's attack was ``part of the pattern of escalation of violence and terror against the Kashmiri people' after the May 23 announcement''. It said this was manifested in an ``upsurge in killings of civilians, including extra-judicial killings, disappearances and rape''.

In other words, in the assessment of the Pakistani government, the ground situation in Kashmir had worsened after the invitation to Gen. Musharraf, and that India would have to take steps to improve the situation to create a positive environment for the summit meeting between the Prime Minister and Gen. Musharraf.

The Foreign Office statement follows the two-day conference of the top brass of the military where the invitation to Gen. Musharraf and Kashmir were discussed. The press statement put out on the commanders' conference hardly gave any information on the nature of deliberations on the invitation. It merely said that it had been discussed.

It is difficult to guess what exactly prompted the Foreign Office to react so sharply to the Charar-e-Sharif incident, particularly in view of the coming summit meeting. However, it certainly provides strength to the cause of the hardliners, who can now tout the ``we-told-you-so'' line.

It would be interesting to watch what steps India and Pakistan take to create the right tempo for the summit and ensure that the hardliners on both sides do not take advantage of the situation.

The statement read: ``The Government of Pakistan strongly condemns yesterday's grenade attack at the Charar-e-Sharief shrine complex in Jammu and Kashmir at the time of Friday prayers and the ensuing indiscriminate faring by Indian forces.''

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Probe into J&K blast

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, JUNE 9. Even as the Jammu and Kashmir Government ordered a magisterial inquiry into Friday's grenade attack on the Charar-e-Sharief shrine, which claimed four lives, tempers ran high today with people resorting to protest demonstrations and pelting police with stones. Leaders of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference and the People's Democratic Party visited the town to express solidarity with people.

The Minister of State for Home, Mr. Mushtaq Lone, said the inquiry would be held by the Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, Mr. Rohit Kansal. And after the findings were submitted, the Government would initiate necessary action under the law.

Mr. Lone vehemently denied an allegation from a section of the people that police, particularly the SHO, was involved in the attack. ``It is (intended) to malign the police and the Government'' he told The Hindu, adding that police was discharging their duty of maintaining law and order there. ``There is a deep conspiracy behind the outrageous attack which is politically motivated.''

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