India's army says there is no sign of a let-up in the fighting in Kashmir MESSAGE BOARD: India-Pakistan relations RELATED VIDEO CNN's Satinder Bindra reports on the latest developments in Kashmir dispute (July 8) Windows Media 28K 80K

July 8, 1999
Web posted at: 3:19 p.m. EDT (1919 GMT)

In this story: Sharif defends agreement to Cabinet Calls for escalation in India RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Four days after Pakistan agreed to bring Islamic guerrillas off the peaks of Indian-controlled Kashmir, fighting intensified as India said the rebels launched a new offensive Thursday.

Nearly 40 Indian soldiers have been killed in fighting in the region during the past 48 hours on the slopes of the disputed Himalayan territory, where the combat zone reaches elevations up to 4,500 meters (14,600 feet).

Pakistan's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, returned from a visit to Washington and London on Thursday to outline the agreement he signed to rein in the guerrillas. But his mission to find a peaceful settlement for Kashmir has angered the militants and whipped up a storm of criticism in Pakistan.

India, meanwhile, resumed bus service along a key Kashmir highway on Wednesday after reclaiming control of one of the last strategic peaks in the region. But India and Pakistan have continued to exchange artillery fire across the 1972 cease-fire line dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

"There is real stiff resistance that is being posed by the enemy. It's not a cakewalk," said Indian army Col. Bikram Singh

India says it now has no doubt that soldiers of the Pakistani regular army were among the guerrillas, who showed no signs of retreating. Pakistan denies aiding the separatist rebels, although they allow the groups to operate in Pakistani territory.

Sharif defends agreement to Cabinet

After meeting in Washington with U.S. President Bill Clinton on Sunday, Sharif agreed to get the militants to abandon their positions inside India's portion of Kashmir. But militants and Sharif's opposition called his offer a sellout.

Sharif returned to Islamabad on Thursday amid heavy security to brief his Cabinet and military chiefs. State television announced that Sharif, who rarely holds news conferences, would make a national broadcast Saturday on "matters of national importance."

Sharif tried to link a guerrilla withdrawal to a resolution of the Indo-Pakistani dispute over Kashmir, which has sparked two wars since 1947. India insists that talks can only take place after a guerrilla withdrawal.

Sharif was expected to claim that Pakistan had successfully "internationalized" the Kashmir dispute and won a Clinton pledge to take a personal interest in peace talks. But Pakistani commentators said that India's refusal to accept any kind of mediation undermined that pledge.

If India successfully pushed the rebels out of its zone, "Clinton would be in no position to persuade India to start any talks, leave alone any concessions to Pakistan," The Nation newspaper said. "India could then thumb its nose at the U.S. if it wants to."

Calls for escalation in India

India's army said there had been no let-up in firing since the Washington agreement. Singh said 634 Pakistani soldiers and 321 Indian soldiers -- including 23 officers -- had died since the offensive began. Of those, 92 guerrillas and 38 Indian troops were killed during the past two days.

One of those was Capt. Amit Verma, who was cremated in New Delhi on Thursday. Verma was the son of another retired officer, Col. Surendra Verma, who said his family was proud of his son's death.

"He has given his life. That is the supreme sacrifice for the country, and we are honored," Verma said.

Some have called for India to expand the conflict to an open war with Pakistan.

"I'm afraid we must think in terms of escalation," said retired Gen. Satish Nambiar, one of India's most decorated soldiers. "Our strategy would be to look to where it hurts Pakistan most -- that's the Punjab province."

Nambiar said scenes of the fighting in Kashmir have outraged Indians, and he said it's unlikely India and Pakistan will ever be on friendly terms in his lifetime.

New Delhi Bureau Chief Satinder Bindra and Reuters contributed to this report.

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