New Delhi last month invited Kashmiri groups for peace talks, but so far only Shabir Shah has responded by exchanging letters on the subject with India's Kashmir chief negotiator K. C. Pant. New Delhi has made it clear that Kashmir is not a law and order problem, but a dispute, which needs to be resolved. Muslim-majority Kashmir was divided between India and Pakistan in 1947 but remains claimed by both. Part of the population favours total independence. The insurgency has claimed more than 34,000 lives since 1989, according to Indian figures.
Separatist leaders say the death toll is twice as high.
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