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Kashmiri separatists wary as militants
reject India's dialogue offer

Kashmiri separatist leaders responded with caution on Thursday to an initiative by the Union government to open a dialogue, but two pro-Pakistan militant groups rejected the offer outright.

"It sounds like a new offer but reads like an old story," said Abdul Gani Bhat, a senior leader of the Kashmiri Hurriyat Conference -- an amalgam of two dozen separatist political groups.

Bhat was responding to remarks on Wednesday by Home Minister L K Advani that the government would be willing to talk with Hurriyat leaders, and even Kashmiri militant groups "on every demand, legitimate or perverse."

But Advani made the offer conditional on militant groups laying down their arms and the Hurriyat accepting that talks would be held "within the framework of the Indian Constitution" -- a formula that would rule out the secession of Kashmir.

Two leading separatist Muslim militant groups, meanwhile, rejected the talks offer.

"For purposeful and meaningful dialogue the Indian government should create (a) conducive atmosphere by sending its army back to barracks and releasing all the Kashmiri detenues," said a spokesman for the most powerful militant group, the Hizbul Mujahideen.

A spokesman for the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group, Abu Osama, said the offer of a dialogue was "meaningless as long as India indulges in state-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir."

"Before going for talks the Indian army should withdraw from Kashmir," Osama said.

"I don't think there is anything there that we should take too seriously," Bhat told AFP.

"The Constitution precondition means we would have to withdraw our stance of letting the Kashmir people decide whether to stay with India, secede in favour of Pakistan or opt for independence. We don't want to be guided by conditionalities, we are guided by realities," he said.

The timing of the offer was also significant, following US President Bill Clinton's state visit to India -- during which he urged a dialogue on Kashmir -- and the release in New Delhi on Tuesday of three top Hurriyat leaders, including Bhat, after six months in detention.

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