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Pakistan pushes for talks to end Kashmir fighting
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CNN's Satinder Bindra examines the history of the Kashmir conflict
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CNN's Satinder Bindra reports on the conflict in Kashmir (May 28)
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May 28, 1999
Web posted at: 7:55 p.m. EDT (2355 GMT)
KARACHI, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's prime minister urged
his Indian counterpart Friday to hold talks to end the
fighting in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee spoke by telephone Friday, Sharif said.
But he warned that any Indian intrusion into Pakistani
territory would "face the same fate" as the Indian MiG
fighters that were lost Thursday.
Pakistan says it shot both of them down over Kashmir; India
says both were in its airspace, and only one was shot down,
while the other crashed because of mechanical problems. A
Kashmiri militant group claimed Friday to have shot down an
Indian helicopter gunship with a shoulder-fired missile.
Sharif spoke at a ceremony marking Pakistan's first year as a
nuclear power -- an anniversary that came as Pakistan stood
eyeball-to-eyeball with its longtime rival and fellow nuclear
power over the divided Himalayan region.
Sharif said the nuclear-armed neighbors "should refrain from
fighting."
"I talked to Vajpayee today and asked 'where is this
leading?'" Sharif said. "I told him and he agreed that there
is no solution to Kashmir except table talks."
He did not say whether the contact would lead to a meeting
between the two sides.
Kashmir has been the catalyst for two Indo-Pakistani wars
since the two nations became independent in 1947. Both
countries claim the rugged territory, which is split into
Indian- and Pakistani-held zones by a U.N. cease-fire line.
Indian helicopter shot down
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Kashmir: High stakes on high ground
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The mountainous, 83,807-square-kilometer (32,358-square-
mile) province sits at the western end of the Himalayas,
along the northern border of India and Pakistan.
A U.N.-drawn boundary divides Kashmir between India and
Pakistan, which fought wars over the territory in 1948 and
1965. China also has part of the territory, which it
occupied in 1959.
India's portion comprises the state of Jammu and Kashmir,
with the capital in Srinagar. Pakistan's territory is
governed from Muzaffarabad.
India has fought a Muslim insurrection in its portion of the
territory since 1990. Its attacks on rebel positions
Wednesday marked an escalation of that campaign.
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The current crisis began Wednesday, when India turned its
troops and air power against Muslim rebels holed up in
Kashmir's rugged mountains.
Indian commanders say they have had great success in the
campaign to rid Kashmir of about 600 insurgents, which it
claims are backed by Pakistan.
"The casualties among the intruders are mounting," Indian
Maj. Gen. J.J. Singh said. "Some intelligence reports allude
to over 200 killed and more wounded as far as the intruders
are concerned."
Pakistan denies it has provided the insurgents any support.
On Friday in New Delhi, Vajpayee convened a Cabinet meeting -
- the second in as many days -- to take stock of the
situation. Protesters marched on the Pakistan Embassy to
protest the attacks.
Pakistani military officials took journalists to view what
they said was the wreckage of one of the jets Friday, about
12 kilometers (seven miles) inside Pakistani territory.
Correspondent Kasra Naji, New Delhi Bureau Chief Satinder
Bindra and Reuters contributed to this report.
RELATED STORIES:
Pakistan pushes for talks to end Kashmir fighting
May 28, 1999
Pakistan seeks U.N. help in Kashmir dispute
May 27, 1999
Indian attack on Kashmir guerrillas raises alarm in Pakistan
May 26, 1999
RELATED SITES:
The Government of Pakistan
Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs
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