More than 1,000 people in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday demanded a role in the latest round of peace talks between India and Pakistan. Activists from jihadi groups rallied in Muzaffarabad and also called for jihad against India, an AFP reporter said. “Talks between India and Pakistan will be in vain without Kashmiri representation,” said Syed Salahuddin, head of Hizbul Mujahedin which is fighting Indian rule in the divided Himalayan region.
“We are not opposing the dialogue process but it will remain useless without the participation of Kashmiris,” he added.
The latest round of peace talks comes after a break of more than two years, which followed the killing of more than 170 people in Mumbai in November 2008 in attacks that India blamed on Pakistani terrorists. The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet later this month in New Delhi. The peace talks have focused on the fate of Kashmir, peace and security and confidence building measures.
