Indian PM calls separatists home at Kashmir talks

An Indian soldier orders a Kashmiri man to raise his hands after a grenade blast in Srinagar. Picture / Reuters.

SRINAGAR- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told Kashmiri militants in Pakistan to "come home", as he presses forward with peace talks.

Despite tight security for the talks in India's summer capital, Srinagar, separatist rebels set off five grenades, injuring at least 19 civilians and nine policemen.

An Islamist revolt in Indian Kashmir has killed more than 45,000 people since it began in 1989.

"In the light of the changing environment, we are reviewing the cases of all detainees," Mr Singh said in his opening address at the two-day roundtable conference.

"Included in this is a review of those [who] crossed over [to Pakistani Kashmir] after violating our laws and who are now anxious to come home."

Senior aides to Mr Singh said later the prime minister was asking Kashmiri fighters to come back, and offering favourable treatment of their cases but stopping well short of an amnesty.

India says Kashmiri rebels cross into Pakistani Kashmir where they are trained and armed to carry out attacks in the Indian-ruled part of the Himalayan region.

Pakistan denies the charge but has checked "infiltration" along the Line of Control, the ceasefire line splitting Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

There are an estimated 600,000 troops in Kashmir.

Mr Singh's aide, Sanjay Baru quoted him telling military, police and civilian commanders to be more humane.

"He said… 'You must be steadfast in your commitment to human rights and there should be zero tolerance for custodial deaths'," Mr Baru added.

The conference is part of Singh's "internal dialogue" with Kashmiris but has been boycotted by key separatist political leaders who called a strike to coincide with the meeting.

It is intended to complement an ongoing but slow-moving peace process with Pakistan, which controls a part of the region but like India claims it in full.

The nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining freedom from Britain in 1947.

- REUTERS