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Hizb praises Vajpayee, willing to suspend fighting

The Hizbul Mujahideen has praised Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and pledged to suspend its armed struggle if New Delhi agrees to give Kashmir the right of self-determination.

"We are ready to put our guns down if India agrees to give us our basic right of self determination," Online news agency quoted Abdul Majid Dar, commander-in-chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen, as saying.

It said Dar met reporters at "an unknown place".

Dar said Sunday's summit between Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at Agra could prove "a good opportunity for establishing durable peace in the region. India should take advantage of this opportunity".

"We think both Vajpayee and Musharraf are sincere about Kashmir. Their statements show that they have a strong desire to resolve the issue. We hope the summit bears fruit."

Dar's comments are at variance with other pro-Pakistan separatist groups that have been saying that the Agra summit is a farce and that they would step up their activities in Kashmir.

Dar warned that the Hizb, which is considered the strongest militant group in Jammu and Kashmir, would keep an eye over the Agra summit "and no compromise on Kashmir would be permitted".

Indo-Asian News Service

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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