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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Modi rejects talks with Pakistan amid new violence in Kashmir

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SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected the possibility of talks with Pakistan after a deadly bombing last week sparked new violence in Kashmir on Monday and raised tensions.


Four soldiers, three fighters, one police officer and one civilian were killed on Monday in a gunbattle in Kashmir’s Pulwama district, not far from the site of a rebel bombing that killed 40 paramilitary soldiers on Thursday.


The fighters reportedly belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group that took responsibility for last week’s attack in Pulwama.


The bomb attack on a paramilitary police convoy in Kashmir last Thursday killed at least 40 men, the deadliest single assault on forces in 30 years of insurgency in the region.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi, facing an election that must be held by May, is under domestic pressure for decisive action.


Modi has promised a strong response and says he has given the military a free hand to tackle cross-border militancy.


The three fighters killed in the clash on Monday were all members of JeM, two security sources said.


“The encounter is still in progress and the security forces are on the job,” police said in a statement.


But the 17-hour engagement, that ended shortly before 1330 GMT, came at a cost for India’s security services.


Four soldiers and a policeman were killed, while nine troops were wounded, including a brigadier, one of the army’s top roles, and a deputy inspector general of police.


A civilian was also killed.


“They have protection. Our officers and men are exposed, whereas they’re in the built up area, hiding,” said K Rajendra Kumar, a former director general of police in Jammu and Kashmir.


Security force sources said one of the dead fighters had been identified as Abdul Rashid Gazi, who went by the alias Kamran Bhai and is suspected of playing a leading role in organising Thursday’s attack.


Indian troops had earlier cordoned off Pinglan village in Kashmir’s Pulwama district, where the attack took place on Thursday.


An indefinite curfew has been imposed and police have asked people to stay indoors.


Mohammad Yunis, a journalist in Pulwama, said troops were searching the village and civilians trapped in houses were being evacuated.


On Sunday, police said Indian forces had detained 23 men suspected of links to the fighters who carried out the Thursday bombing.


India withdrew trade privileges offered to Pakistan after the bomb attack and has warned of further action.


The United States had told India it supported its right to defend itself against cross-border attacks, India said on Saturday.


With tension mounting, Pakistan withdrew its envoy to India for consultations, a spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Twitter on Monday.


“We are at a dangerous moment, and authorities must do everything they can to uphold the rule of law,” said Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty India.


“Ordinary Kashmiris across India who are only seeking to improve their lives should not be singled out for violence simply because of where they come from.”


— Reuters


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