Fear, despair in Kashmir as talks falter

AFP, NAKYAL SECTOR, Pakistan: India and Pakistan aborted rare talks this weekend under a cloud of recriminations, while on the front line of their festering conflict in Kashmir, villagers cowering from artillery in mud huts despair of ever seeing lasting peace.
Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz called off a trip to New Delhi for a planned “ice-breaking” meeting on Sunday with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval at the last minute amid a row over the agenda for the talks.
The cancellation dashed hopes of any imminent breakthrough in the nuclear-armed neighbours’ long-fraught relations. Shelling across the de facto border, known as the Line of Control (LoC) in disputed Kashmir, has been on the rise this month, with several civilians killed.
The Himalayan region has been divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in full by both, since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Fear, despair in Kashmir as talks falter

AFP, NAKYAL SECTOR, Pakistan: India and Pakistan aborted rare talks this weekend under a cloud of recriminations, while on the front line of their festering conflict in Kashmir, villagers cowering from artillery in mud huts despair of ever seeing lasting peace. Pakistans National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz called off a trip to New Delhi for a planned ice-breaking meeting on Sunday with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval at the last minute amid a row over the agenda for the talks. The cancellation dashed hopes of any imminent breakthrough in the nuclear-armed neighbours long-fraught relations. Shelling across the de facto border, known as the Line of Control (LoC) in disputed Kashmir, has been on the rise this month, with several civilians killed. The Himalayan region has been divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in full by both, since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.