Peeved over the silence of leaders of separatist groups, their factions in Pakistan and in occupied-Kashmir are making desperate attempts to foment trouble in Jammu and Kashmir by giving calls from across the border for 'bandhs' and strikes to mark the death anniversary of Mirwaiz Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, officials said.
About half-a-dozen pacts are likely to be signed during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India during which he will also hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on key security and strategic issues and address a public function.
A host of security and strategic issues, including India's concerns over stapled visa to residents of Jammu and Kashmir will be raised by the leadership in New Delhi with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao when he visits the country from December 15.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved a 'rehabilitation policy' facilitating the return of youth who had crossed over to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir since 1990 for arms training.
During a meeting with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir "president" Raja Zulqarnain Khan and "prime minister" Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider, Gilani said, Pakistan will "continue to support the just cause of the people of Kashmir."
Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
Thousands of misguided Kashmiri youth were receiving training in different militant training camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), says an arrested Hizbul Mujahideen militant.
Hundreds of university students, including foreigners, are being trained in militant camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to wage 'jihad' against India, BBC Urdu Service has reported.After a lull, several militant outfits have increased their activities in and around Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, and pro-Jihad slogans can be seen on the walls of the city, said the report.
Curfew remained imposed for the second day today in Srinagar district in Jammu and Kashmir with no untoward incident being reported so far from anywhere in the Valley.Curfew was imposed on Monday in Kashmir after a protest march towards Pakistan occupied Kashmir capital Muzaffarabad -- organised by fruit growers and separatists against the 'economic blockade'-- turned violent.Prominent Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz and three others were killed and hundreds injured.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will arrive in Beijing on Monday for "comprehensive" talks with the top Chinese leadership covering issues like issuance of stapled visas by Beijing and "illegal" construction in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
India's concerns on a host of issues, including issuance of stapled visas and "illegal" construction in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will be taken up by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna during his meetings with Chinese leadership when he visits that country from Monday.
If and when India and Pakistan bilateral talks take place any issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir will not be on the table. Any future talks with Pakistan will be only about PoK, tactically or otherwise.
China has been using Pakistan to counter India by arming it with nuclear weapons, missiles and conventional weapons, says K Subrahmanyam
Chinese response to the presence of its troops in Gilgit-Baltistan, an area described by its foreign ministry as 'northern part of Pakistan,' was curiously omitted in the official transcript, a day after it created a flutter in New Delhi.
As China vehemently refutes reports of its army's presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a leading Chinese expert has pointed fingers at the US, accusing it of trying to sow seeds of discord between Beijing and its neighbours.
"We believe the attempts of some people to fabricate stories to provoke China-Pakistan or China-India relations are doomed to fail," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu in a brief statement late Wednesday night, which was circulated by the state run Xinhua news agency.
The map displayed by PDP during a power point presentation yesterday showed Aksai Chin and Karakoram region painted in red and part of China and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in green.
Main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said the Kashmir issue and differences over the sharing of river waters must be discussed during the February 25 talks between foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan.
While India and Pakistan are preparing to tone down the heightened tension amid them during the forthcoming South Asian Association for Regional Corporation summit, in which Home Minister P Chidambaram is likely to take part, anti-India Jihadi organisations are organising a meet in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan of the Muslim Conference was on Thursday elected "prime minister" of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after incumbent Raja Farooq Haider quit amidst high drama, alleging that PPP-led federal government was interfering in the affairs of the region.
China, which plans to have a rail link with Pakistan through the strategic Karakoram ranges, has signed another agreement with the country for building two highways in the disputed Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir close to the Chinese border.
Pakistan has rejected India's stance on occupied Kashmir, saying the dispute over the region was a result of New Delhi's refusal to implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of APHC leaders in Srinagar, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said: "The decision to visit Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir was taken at a meeting of the conglomerate here."
Two terrorist strikes targeted Shia religious gatherings in southern port city of Karachi and Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Sunday, injuring nearly 25 people.
Pakistan wants the early resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, as this is imperative for lasting peace in the region, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday reiterated Pakistan's 'political, moral and diplomatic' support to Kashmiris on the Kashmir issue. During a meeting with prime minister Muhammad Yaqoob Khan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Zardari said, "Pakistan has always been committed to extending political, moral and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir." They exchanged views on various development projects initiated in PoK.
A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court by two Kashmir residents challenging the Centre's decision to constitute the delimitation commission for redrawing the assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Amid the Sino-India spat over Arunachal Pradesh and Chinese investments in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, New Delhi on Thursday said it has adequate' infrastructure and military capability along its border with China, even as it sought a diplomatic dialogue to resolve the border dispute. "By and large, the border with China is peaceful, except for occasional problems. They are strengthening the infrastructure and capabilities on their side of the border," he said.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat had visited Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to review the operational preparedness of the troops deployed in the state.
Pakistan Army has mocked India after the country's resounding victory in the Champions Trophy cricket final, sharing photos of celebrations.
United Jihad Council chairman and supreme commander of Hizbul Mujaheedin Syed Salah-ud-Din will address a seminar in Srinagar via telephone from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on Wednesday. Ahsan Untoo, chairman of the human rights group, said the seminar will be attended by several senior separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik.
He also accused Pakistan of wanting to destabilise and weaken India through terrorism.
The seeping unhappiness among soldiers unable to reach out to their families affected by the disaster is not only likely to affect its counter-insurgency performance, but it would also add to the sympathy for the Taliban in the lower ranks.
India made plain its opposition to China on issuance of stapled visas to Kashmiris and developmental work in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday, even as the two sides inked an agreement to set up a hotline between their prime ministers.
India on Wednesday inked an agreement with China to set up a hotline between Prime Ministers of the two countries as it conveyed its serious concerns to the Chinese leadership over Beijing's issuance of stapled visas to Kashmiris and plans to undertake projects in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
According to US intelligence sources, Kaashmiri was killed in a missile attack carried out by unmanned aircraft in South Waziristan on September 7.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently alerted the country on more terror attacks being planned on Indian soil. The prime minister was speaking on the basis of specific intelligence reports that suggest terror groups are planning attacks on the country
"The total number of Chinese personnel in and on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan is uncertain, but most estimates suggest a minimum of 7,000," Selig Harrison told PTI.
Rejecting as 'fabricated' reports of presence of up to 11,000 Chinese troops in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's Gilgit-Baltistan area, Pakistan's envoy in Beijing has claimed that only a 'humanitarian team' from China was in the region to assist the flood victims.
