By Paul Tighe
May 15 (Bloomberg) -- India will raise a violation of its 2003 cease-fire with Pakistan in Kashmir after a ``worrisome'' shooting incident across the line dividing the Himalayan territory, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
``All issues which have a bearing on our relations will come up'' in talks, India's state-run broadcaster Doordarshan cited Singh as saying yesterday. The Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers plan to meet May 21 in Islamabad for new discussions in a process that has improved relations between the Asian neighbors.
Military officials accused Pakistani troops of opening fire on an Indian bunker yesterday in the first such incident in five years in Kashmir. Pakistan's military issued a statement denying such an incident occurred.
India and Pakistan began improving relations in April 2003 after they came close to fighting a fourth war the previous year. A settlement in Kashmir and Pakistan preventing terrorists crossing the border into India to carry out attacks are the central issues they are trying to resolve.
India blamed terrorists for bombings in its northern city of Jaipur two days ago that killed 60 people. The attacks were the worst since 68 people were killed on a train running from India's capital, New Delhi, to Lahore in Pakistan in February 2007.
Separatist Fighters
Pakistan denies Indian allegations it provides support for separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state. More than a dozen guerrilla groups have been fighting since 1989 for Jammu and Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan.
Pakistan's military said in the statement yesterday it told India there wasn't any ``unprovoked firing'' by soldiers in the Neelam Valley, as claimed by India.
An Indian military commander protested to Pakistani officers late yesterday after a bunker in northern Kashmir came under machinegun and mortar fire, the Press Trust of India reported, citing unidentified military officials.
``Infiltration itself is a problem,'' Doordarshan cited Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon as saying yesterday. ``We will deal with it on the ground and also bilaterally with Pakistan. We will raise it with them. The absence of violence and stopping cross-border terrorism is a very high priority.''
Political Turmoil
Peace talks stalled last year during Pakistan's political turmoil when President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule for six weeks. Opposition parties formed a coalition government after they won general elections in February.
India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee will visit Pakistan on May 21. Menon will go to Islamabad the day before, the Indian government said last month.
A settlement to the Kashmir issue won't be viable unless it addresses the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said earlier this month.
Pakistan is prepared to give up its claim to Kashmir if India reciprocates and approves self-governance for the territory, Musharraf said in December 2006.
His plan includes maintaining Kashmir's borders, withdrawing troops and creating a mechanism for running the territory between India, Pakistan and Kashmir.
To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: May 14, 2008 22:04 EDT
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