The main rebel alliance in Indian Kashmir yesterday said it had suspended fighting in quake-hit areas even as Indian police reported fresh bloodshed in the bitterly disputed region. Kashmirâs main rebel alliance, the United Jihad Council, faxed a statement to the local Kashmir News Service saying militant operations were on hold in regions affected by Saturdayâs devastating 7.6-magnitude earthquake. It said that Syed Salahuddin, chief of the regionâs most powerful rebel group, the Hizbul Mujahedin, âhas directed its cadres to halt their operations in the affected areas.â
There was no immediate formal response from the Indian Army, which continued its operations in the Indian part of Kashmir, the disputed and divided Himalayan region that is also partly held by Pakistan. |