Indian Kashmiri separatist demands opening of border

A separatist leader from Indian Kashmir has urged rivals India and Pakistan to open the border in the disputed Himalayan region to let the peace process move forward.

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan // A separatist leader from Indian Kashmir urged rivals India and Pakistan yesterday to open the border in the disputed Himalayan region to let the peace process move forward.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the current limited opening of the Line of Control, the de facto frontier in Kashmir, was not enough.

Mr Farooq, a leader of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, is leading a seven-member delegation to Pakistan following an invitation from Islamabad.

He arrived in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, yesterday for a two-day visit and will go on to Islamabad.

"Limited movement of people and goods is not enough, it should be opened for Kashmiris so that they can move across freely to boost the peace process," Mr Farooq told reporters.

He also said Kashmiris should be included in the peace process as it was not a dispute between just India and Pakistan.

"No solution without the involvement of Kashmiris will be acceptable to us as we are an important party in the Kashmir dispute."

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region which remains divided by the heavily militarised Line of Control.

Muslim-majority Kashmir, which India and Pakistan both claim but rule in part, has been racked by militancy since 1989 when an insurgency against Indian rule erupted.

Around 47,000 people have died since then although militant violence has lessened in recent years.

India suspended its peace process with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attacks blamed on Pakistan and talks only resumed in February last year.

Both sides remain deadlocked over Kashmir but have made some progress on less contentious subjects such as trade.