Pakistan called for President Barack Obama to intervene in its long-standing dispute with India over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, the cause of two of the three wars the nuclear-armed rivals have fought. 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.
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| Kashmiri Muslims cover their ears as an improvised explosive device (IED) explodes outside the police control room in Srinagar, India, Monday, Oct. 18, 2010. The IED was successfully diffused by a bomb squad Monday. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) |
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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) |
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| An Indian policeman gestures the media to move away shortly after an improvised explosive device (IED) was diffused outside a police control room in Srinagar, India, Monday, Oct. 18, 2010. The IED was successfully diffused by a bomb squad Monday. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) |
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| Indian paramilitary soldiers arrive after an improvised explosive device (IED) was diffused outside a police control room in Srinagar, India, Monday, Oct. 18, 2010. The IED was successfully diffused by a bomb squad Monday. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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