Kashmiri rebels get formal invite for talks from Delhi

The source said the invitation addressed to the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Maulana Abbas Ansari, was sent by fax from New Delhi on Tuesday.

He said the special secretary to the deputy prime minister had said in the letter that Advani was ready to meet Hurriyat leaders on January 22 at the home ministry offices in New Delhi.

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In a surprise turnaround in October, India's powerful security cabinet authorised Advani to hold formal talks for the first time with Hurriyat leaders.

Meanwhile, Indian troops shot dead two suspected Islamic militants and rebels killed a village head in the latest violence in restive Kashmir, a police spokesman said yesterday.

The militants died in separate clashes with security forces in southern Pulwama and northern Baramulla districts while the rebels shot dead a Muslim village head in southern Poonch district.

The deaths over the past 24 hours marked the latest clashes in Kashmir that have continued even after Indian and Pakistani leaders agreed last week to resume talks over the scenic region held in part by the nuclear rivals and claimed in full by both.