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Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the unusually blunt appeal for Obama to seek a resolution of the dispute when he visits India next month, saying he should “redeem the pledge” he made as a candidate.
The conflict over Kashmir has been the main source of friction between India and Pakistan since they won independence from Britain in 1947. Pakistan has frequently sought outside intervention to resolve it but India vehemently opposes such involvement and the United States has traditionally stayed above the fray.
Qureshi expressed astonishment that the U.S. and other major powers had said little about India’s response to the protests.
“People of conscience have protested the use of force against the defenseless people of Kashmir, in particular the targeting of the Kashmiri youth,” he said. “But the Kashmiri mothers are baffled by the deafening silence of the world’s leadership. History has proved that the force of arms cannot suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”
India and Pakistan fought two wars for control of Muslim-majority Kashmir, where rebels have sought independence from India or incorporation with neighboring Pakistan.
More than 68,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in Kashmir since fighting began in earnest in 1989.
Indian government forces say they have evacuated hundreds of people after a fierce gunbattle erupted with three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village in the Indian portion of Kashmir.
Lt. Col. J.S. Brar, an Indian army spokesman, says soldiers and police cordoned a portion of Maloora, a village on the outskirts of the region’s main city Srinagar, following intelligence that suspected rebels were hiding there.
Brar said Thursday heavy gunfire between the suspected rebels and government forces is continuing.
An Indian Army soldier takes cover after firing at suspected
militants during a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India,
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Troops evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce
gunbattle erupted with three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a
village home in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Thursday, police said.
(AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
Protestors run as policemen try to catch them during a protest in
Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010. Indian authorities imposed
curfew in some parts of Srinagar fearing protests following a strike
call given by separatist leaders. Kashmir has been rocked by protests
since last four months which has killed more than hundred people. (AP
Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol a deserted street in Srinagar,
India, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010. Indian authorities imposed curfew in some
parts of Srinagar fearing protests following a strike call given by
separatist leaders. Kashmir has been rocked by protests since last four
months which has killed more than a hundred people. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
#
An unidentified relative of Ghulam Nabi Mir wails during his funeral
procession in Pampore, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) south of Srinagar,
India, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010. Mir, a local shopkeeper was injured when
he was allegedly beaten by security forces last week. He succumbed to
injuries at a local hospital, family members said. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Kashmiris react after Indian paramilitary soldiers broke the door and
glass panes of their home during a protest in Srinagar, India, Friday,
Oct. 15, 2010. Indian authorities imposed curfew in some parts of
Srinagar fearing protests following a strike call given by separatist
leaders. Kashmir has been rocked by protests since last four months
which has killed more than hundred people. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Relatives and neighbors bury the body of Ghulam Nabi Mir in Pampore,
about 20 kilometers (13 miles) south of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct.
15, 2010. Mir, a local shopkeeper, was injured when he was allegedly
beaten by security forces last week. He succumbed to injuries at a local
hospital, family members said. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
An Indian Army soldier carries a child to safety during a gunbattle
on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Troops
evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce gunbattle erupted with three
suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village home in the Indian portion
of Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
An Indian police man checks identity card of a Kashmiri Muslim at a
temporary check post during a strike in Srinagar, India, Tuesday, Oct.
19, 2010. Kashmir has been engulfed by strikes and street protests by
demonstrators demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Businesses have lost millions of dollars and schools have been forced to
shut down. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
An Indian soldier stands guard as Kashmiri civilians move to safety
during a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct.
21, 2010. Troops evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce gunbattle
erupted with three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village home in
the Indian portion of Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP
Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
An Indian Army soldier fires at suspected militants as a dog rushes
to safety during a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India,
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Troops evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce
gunbattle erupted with three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a
village home in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Thursday, police said.
(AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
A Kashmiri woman shouts as she moves along with her children to a
safer place during a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India,
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Troops evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce
gunbattle erupted with three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a
village home in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Thursday, police said.
(AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
An Indian Army soldier runs to take position during a gunbattle on
the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Troops
evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce gunbattle erupted with three
suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village home in the Indian portion
of Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
An Indian Army soldier gestures as they cordon off the area during a
gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010.
Troops evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce gunbattle erupted with
three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village home in the Indian
portion of Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
An Indian Army soldier gestures towards camera during a gunbattle on
the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Troops
evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce gunbattle erupted with three
suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village home in the Indian portion
of Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
Kashmiri muslims carry a generator during a search through the rubble
of a damaged house after a gunbattle between suspected militants and
Indian troops in Maloora, on the outskirts of Srinagar on October 22,
2010. Three militants slain in a gunbattle in Indian Kashmir were on a
suicide mission to attack Indian military bases, a rebel group said,
adding three other guerrillas escaped. Two of the militants from the
hardline Pakistan-based rebel group Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed during a
fierce gunbattle on the outskirts of Indian Kashmir summer capital
Srinagar. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF
BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Kashmiri muslims search through the rubble of their damaged house
after a gunbattle between suspected militants and Indian troops in
Maloora, on the outskirts of Srinagar on October 22, 2010. Three
militants slain in a gunbattle in Indian Kashmir were on a suicide
mission to attack Indian military bases, a rebel group said, adding
three other guerrillas escaped. Two of the militants from the hardline
Pakistan-based rebel group Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed during a fierce
gunbattle on the outskirts of Indian Kashmir summer capital Srinagar.
AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty
Images) #
Relatives of wounded Mohammad Yousaf carry him on a stretcher at a
local hospital in Srinagar, India, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010. Yousaf was
wounded inside the compound of his house when police and paramilitary
soldiers fired at group of protesters in Baramullah town, family members
alleged. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Kashmiri women console another inside their partially damaged house
after a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 22,
2010. Residents in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir Friday alleged
Indian troops of stealing valuables from their houses a day after army
said troops killed three suspected rebels in a nine-hour fighting in a
village. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard on an empty street during
curfew hours in Srinagar on October 19, 2010. Muslim-majority Kashmir
has experienced rolling curfews and strikes since June 11, when a
17-year-old student was killed by a police teargas shell. Since then,
more than 110 protesters and bystanders have died in the region. AFP
PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Indian soldiers take positions during an encounter as separatist
militants and soldiers fight a gunbattle in Maloora, a residential area
of Srinagar, on October 21, 2010. Soldiers shot dead two militants
during a gunbattle October 21 in a residential area of Srinagar, the
main city in Indian Kashmir, which has been under regular curfews for
months. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF
BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Indian Army soldiers watch from a distance as their colleagues fight
with suspected militants, near the site of a gun battle on the outskirts
of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Indian troops killed two
suspected rebels in a nine-hour gun battle in a village in
Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, police said.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian policemen take position among chillies being dried on top of a
residence as separatist militants and soldiers fight a gunbattle in
Maloora, a residential area of Srinagar, on October 21, 2010. Soldiers
shot dead two militants during a gunbattle October 21 in a residential
area of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir, which has been under
regular curfews for months. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should
read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Kashmiri people look at a damaged house after a gunbattle between
suspected militants and Indian troops in Maloora, on the outskirts of
Srinagar on October 22, 2010. Three militants slain in a gunbattle in
Indian Kashmir were on a suicide mission to attack Indian military
bases, a rebel group said, adding three other guerrillas escaped. Two of
the militants from the hardline Pakistan-based rebel group
Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed during a fierce gunbattle on the outskirts
of Indian Kashmir summer capital Srinagar. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo
credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
An Indian Army soldier checks his ammunition before joining his
colleagues to fight with suspected militants near the site of a
gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010.
Indian troops killed two suspected rebels in a nine-hour gunbattle in a
village in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP
Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian Army soldiers look from inside of an armored vehicle near the
site of a gun battle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct.
21, 2010. Indian troops killed two suspected rebels in a nine-hour gun
battle in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, police
said. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Kashmiri people look at a damaged house after a gunbattle between
suspected militants and Indian troops in Maloora, on the outskirts of
Srinagar on October 22, 2010. Three militants slain in a gunbattle in
Indian Kashmir were on a suicide mission to attack Indian military
bases, a rebel group said, adding three other guerrillas escaped. Two of
the militants from the hardline Pakistan-based rebel group
Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed during a fierce gunbattle on the outskirts
of Indian Kashmir summer capital Srinagar. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo
credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Indian soldiers evacuate a Kashmiri family as separatist militants
and soldiers fight a gunbattle in Maloora, a residential area of
Srinagar, on October 21, 2010. Soldiers shot dead two militants during a
gunbattle October 21 in a residential area of Srinagar, the main city
in Indian Kashmir, which has been under regular curfews for months. AFP
PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Paramilitary soldiers are dressed for wet weather as they patrol a
hilly terrain, a day after a gun battle in the region, in Pulwama,
India, Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. The Indian Army said troops killed three
suspected rebels in a nine-hour battle in a village on the outskirts of
Srinagar. (AP Photo) ** INDIA OUT ** #
An Indian soldier takes position on top of a vehicle as separatist
militants and soldiers fight a gunbattle in Maloora, a residential area
of Srinagar, on October 21, 2010. Soldiers shot dead two militants
during a gunbattle October 21 in a residential area of Srinagar, the
main city in Indian Kashmir, which has been under regular curfews for
months. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF
BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Kashmiri residents are held back from entering an area as separatist
militants and soldiers fight a gunbattle in Maloora, a residential area
of Srinagar, on October 21, 2010. Soldiers shot dead two militants
during a gunbattle October 21 in a residential area of Srinagar, the
main city in Indian Kashmir, which has been under regular curfews for
months. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF
BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Kashmiris salvage their belongings from the debris of a house after a
gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 22, 2010.
Residents in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir Friday alleged
Indian troops of stealing valuables from their houses a day after army
said troops killed three suspected rebels in a nine-hour fighting in a
village. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian Army soldiers take cover behind a wall as they try to storm a
house where suspected militants were hiding during a gun battle on the
outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Indian troops
killed two suspected rebels in a nine-hour gun battle in a village in
Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, police said.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
An Indian Army soldier checks his gun before joining his colleagues
to fight with suspected militants near the site of a gun battle on the
outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Indian troops
killed two suspected rebels in a nine-hour gun battle in a village in
Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, police said.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
A Kashmiri woman wails inside her partially damaged house after a
gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 22, 2010.
Residents in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir Friday alleged
Indian troops of stealing valuables from their houses a day after army
said troops killed three suspected rebels in a nine-hour fighting in a
village. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian Army soldiers takes cover behind a wall as they try to storm a
house where suspected militants were hiding during a gun battle on the
outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Indian troops
killed two suspected rebels in a nine-hour gun battle in a village in
Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
#
Kashmiri Muslim women salvage their belongings from the debris of a
house after a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday,
Oct. 22, 2010. Residents in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir
Friday alleged Indian troops of stealing valuables from their houses a
day after army said troops killed three suspected rebels in a nine-hour
fighting in a village. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Smoke billows following an explosion as separatist militants and
soldiers fight a gunbattle in Maloora, a residential area of Srinagar,
on October 21, 2010. Soldiers shot dead two militants during a gunbattle
October 21 in a residential area of Srinagar, the main city in Indian
Kashmir, which has been under regular curfews for months. AFP PHOTO/Rouf
BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
An Indian Army soldier gestures to a civilian to move to safety
during a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct.
21, 2010. Troops evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce gunbattle
erupted with three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village home in
the Indian portion of Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP
Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
Empty bullet cartridge remain near the debris of a house after a
gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 22, 2010.
Residents in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir Friday alleged
Indian troops of stealing valuables from their houses a day after army
said troops killed three suspected rebels in a nine-hour fighting in a
village. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian Army soldiers and a policeman take position behind a wall
during a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct.
21, 2010. Troops evacuated hundreds of people as a fierce gunbattle
erupted with three suspected Muslim rebels hiding in a village home in
the Indian portion of Kashmir on Thursday, police said. (AP
Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
A Kashmiri family react as they stand inside their partially damaged
house after a gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday,
Oct. 22, 2010. Residents in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir
Friday alleged Indian troops of stealing valuables from their houses a
day after army said troops killed three suspected rebels in a nine-hour
fighting in a village. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian army soldiers and policeman fire towards Muslim militants
during an encounter as separatist militants and soldiers fought a
gunbattle in Maloora, a residential area of Srinagar, the main city in
Indian Kashmir which has been under regular curfews for months, on
October 21, 2010. Indian troops and counter-insurgency police surrounded
a house where the militants were holed up early in the morning in the
suburbs of the city. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF
BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Indian army soldiers and policemen open fire during an encounter as
separatist militants and soldiers fought a gunbattle in Maloora, a
residential area of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir which has
been under regular curfews for months, on October 21, 2010. Indian
troops and counter-insurgency police surrounded a house where the
militants were holed up early in the morning in the suburbs of the city.
AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty
Images) #
Indian army soldiers and policemen open fire during an encounter as
separatist militants and soldiers fought a gunbattle in Maloora, a
residential area of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir which has
been under regular curfews for months, on October 21, 2010. Indian
troops and counter-insurgency police surrounded a house where the
militants were holed up early in the morning in the suburbs of the city.
AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty
Images) #
Indian army soldiers and a policeman open fire during an encounter as
separatist militants and soldiers fought a gunbattle in Maloora, a
residential area of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir which has
been under regular curfews for months, on October 21, 2010. Indian
troops and counter-insurgency police surrounded a house where the
militants were holed up early in the morning in the suburbs of the city.
AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty
Images) #
A Kashmiri boy stands on the debris of a house after a gunbattle in
the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. Residents in a
village in Indian-controlled Kashmir Friday alleged Indian troops of
stealing valuables from their houses a day after army said troops killed
three suspected rebels in a nine-hour fighting in a village. (AP
Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Indian army soldiers evacuate Kashmiri Muslims during an encounter as
separatist militants and soldiers fought a gunbattle in Maloora, a
residential area of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir which has
been under regular curfews for months, on October 21, 2010. Indian
troops and counter-insurgency police surrounded a house where the
militants were holed up early in the morning in the suburbs of the city.
AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty
Images) #
A Kashmiri Muslim walks with his son on a road empty but for two cows
during a curfew in downtown Srinagar on October 15, 2010. Kashmir has
been under rolling curfews and strikes since early June, when a
17-year-old student was killed by a police teargas shell. Since then, a
total of 110 protesters and bystanders have died in the region. AFP
PHOTO / Sajjad HUSSAIN (Photo credit should read SAJJAD
HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images) #
Indian police take part in a ceremony to mark the Police
Commemoration Day at the Police Training Centre in Zewan on the
outskirts of Srinagar on October 21,2010. The annual Police
Commemoration Day is being observed on October 21 to remember and pay
respect to policemen and security personnel killed in the troubled
Kashmir region. TOPSHOTS / AFP PHOTO / Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should
read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Relatives and neighbors shout slogans as they carry the coffin of
Ghulam Nabi Mir during his funeral procession in Pampore, about 20
kilometers (13 miles) south of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010.
Mir, a local shopkeeper, was injured when he was allegedly beaten by
security forces last week. He succumbed to injuries at a local hospital,
family members said. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #
Kashmiri Muslims pray by the body of Ghulam Nabi Mir during his
funeral procession in Pampore, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) south of
Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010. Mir, a local shopkeeper, was
injured when he was allegedly beaten by security forces last week. He
succumbed to injuries at a local hospital, family members said. (AP
Photo/Dar Yasin) #
An Indian paramilitary soldier asks motorists to show their curfew
pass during a curfew in Srinagar, India, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010. The
Muslim majority Kashmir region is divided between mainly Hindu India and
mainly Muslim Pakistan and claimed by both countries in its entirety.
Since June, Indian-controlled Kashmir has been engulfed by street
protests demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan. At least 108
people have been killed in the subsequent crackdown by security forces.
(AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) #
Members of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA)
shout pro-freedom and anti-Indian slogans during a protest in Srinagar
on October 14, 2010. Dozens of lawyers protested outside the court
complex demanding the release of their president and general secretary
who has been detained under the public safety act during the recent
uprising against Indian rule in which over a hundred protesters and
bystanders have been killed. AFP PHOTO/Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should
read ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images) #
Pakistani veiled female activists of the hardline party
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) wearing ribbons on their heads with a slogan
against India hold a protest rally in Islamabad on October 11, 2010
against the situation in India-administered Kashmir. Indian-ruled
Kashmir has been hit by a wave of protests since June 11, when a 17-year
old student was killed by a police teargas shell. Since then Indian
security forces have been accused of killing a total of 110 people,
mostly teenagers and students. AFP PHOTO/ AAMIR QURESHI (Photo credit
should read AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images) #
Kashmiri villagers stand on the debris of a house after a gunbattle
on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. Residents in
a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir Friday alleged Indian troops of
stealing valuables from their houses a day after army said troops killed
three suspected rebels in a nine-hour fighting in a village. (AP
Photo/Dar Yasin) #
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