JAMMU, April 30: By expressing the Centre's readiness for talks with militants to bring an end to insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Defence Minister George Fernandes has not only put the State Government in a dilemma, but also failed to please the separatist All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC).While the State Government insists that talks cannot be held with those demanding secession of Kashmir from India, APHC chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani has asked the Centre to admit, prior to the talks, that Kashmir is a disputed territory.Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the State says it will strongly oppose any such move. The talks, if any, will be held within the ambit of the Indian Constitution, party MP from Udhampur Prof Chaman Lal Gupta said, adding that the militants must first realise that Kashmir is an integral part of India. Even Parliament has resolved that the only issue to be sorted out about Kashmir was the liberation of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, he added.Fernandes, who is on afour-day visit to the state, told some mediapersons at Udhampur on Monday, that the Central Government was ready to hold talks with anyone, including militants, to help end insurgency in the State.Sources close to State Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah described Fernandes' statement as contrary not only to the State Government's stand, but also to that of the BJP. Pointing out that the State Government was not averse to talks with anybody for the restoration of normalcy in Kashmir, they wondered how there could be talks with a person who wanted to secede from India.Significantly, Fernandes' statement does not appear to have pleased the APHC either. Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani asked the Centre to accept the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir as a pre-requisite to such talks. ``We are not opposed to the resolution of the issue through talks, but these should be result-oriented and meaningful,'' he said, ``The pre-requisite for it is to accept the State as a disputed territory.''There cannot be anycompromise on the issue as about 70,000 people have lost their lives in the last eight years in Kashmir, Geelani said. It has been a political problem since 1947, he said, and asked for the right of self-determination for Kashmir in view of the commitments made by India at the national and international level.Meanwhile, political observers in the State felt that the Union Defence Minister had made the statement unknowingly. ``It shows contradictions within the ruling BJP and its allies at the Centre,'' Geelani said while referring to a recent statement of Union Home Minister L K Advani that the Centre was ready for talks with anybody on the issue within the framework of the Indian Constitution.George gets feel of `unprovoked' firingAn army jawan was wounded when Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing on Indian positions at Siachen minutes after Defence Minister George Fernandes reached there on Wednesday.The Pakistani troops fired about 50 shells at Indian positions, some of which even landed in the vicinity of the place where the minister was staying. The Pakistani troops fired at Kumar Chowki in Siachen minutes after he reached there. The minister, who remained in Siachen for about an hour, was at a ``safe place'' when the firing started, Lt General Krishan Paul, Commander of Srinagar-based 15th Corp, who was present at the conference, said.Indian troops also retaliated, the Corps Commander said adding that there might be some casualties on the Pakistani side as some of their bunkers were damaged in the retaliatory action. In reply to a question, he said the firing was continuing today. ``It is a daily routine'', he said.
