India Bars Kashmir Military Offensives

A top Indian army commander Saturday ordered troops to suspend offensive military operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.

The army will continue to patrol the area, which has been torn for years by fighting between troops and Islamic guerrillas seeking to end Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir state. But the army will halt search and surround operations, said Lt. Gen. H.M. Khanna. He said troops will be expected to respect a previous cease-fire but will be allowed to fire in self-defense.

“Retaliatory action will only be initiated if all other avenues are closed,” Khanna said.

His announcement came a day after fighting between Islamic guerrillas and security forces left six people dead. Two armed militants of the Hizbul Moujahedeen died Friday night in Srinagar, Kashmir’s summer capital; another Islamic rebel was killed in Safapora, a small town north of Srinagar; and three people, including a police officer, died in northern Kashmir.

On Monday, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced that India will observe a unilateral cease-fire in Kashmir during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, expected to start today or Monday with the sighting of the new moon. The government said it will stand by the cease-fire agreement despite its rejection by Islamic guerrilla groups.

Kashmir, the only majority-Muslim state in primarily Hindu India, is also claimed by Pakistan. About a dozen Islamic militant groups have been fighting for 11 years to either merge the state with Pakistan or free it from Indian control.