India is considering Pakistan's offer of peace talks between the two nuclear-capable neighbours, even as it continued its air and ground offensive against Islamic guerrilla fighters in the disputed, northern Kashmir region yesterday. It also placed its army on "high alert" in response to Pakistan moving its forces closer to the disputed line of control in Kashmir over which the two sides have fought two of their three wars since independence 52 years ago.
The Indian Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, said he had told his Pakistani counterpart, Mr Nawaz Sharif, over the "hot line" between the two, that India would be willing to meet his Foreign Minister, Mr Sartaj Aziz, in New Delhi but was still considering whether to consent to the visit.
Briefing the opposition leaders over the weekend, he said the air strikes and ground operations by the army would continue till several hundred Islamic militants entrenched inside Indian territory for several weeks in Kashmir's remote Kargil region were evicted.
Officials also confirmed that Pakistan had executed Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, the Indian Air Force pilot, after he parachuted safely into its territory when his fighter aircraft was knocked down by Pakistani fire on Thursday.
A post-mortem examination of the body, returned on Friday by Pakistan, indicated bullet wounds in the head and chest inflicted by a handgun fired from close quarters. The 36-year-old-pilot is survived by his wife and two-year old son. "It was cold blooded murder, an act of cowardice" said Air Vice-Marshal S. K. Malik yesterday. India has also demanded the immediate return of Flight Lieut K. Nachiketa who was taken prisoner by Pakistan on Thursday after his fighter developed engine trouble and crashed near the line of control.
The four-man crew of a helicopter gunship, too, were killed after it was knocked down by a Stinger missile a day later.
India began air strikes against the intruders last week increasing tension with Pakistan. However, the airport in the state capital Srinagar opened to civilian flights yesterday after five days.
Meanwhile, artillery battles raged across the icy wastes of the disputed line of control between the two neighbours. The army claimed it had pushed back what India claims are Pakistan-backed Muslim guerrilla's from at least three vantage points at heights of around 17,000 feet in the Dras and Batalik sectors.
Major General Maj Gen J. J. Singh, the army spokesman, said one of these encounters included fierce hand-to-hand combat in which a major and several insurgents was killed. But even though the Islamic guerrilla's had been defeated in several areas, particularly those overlooking strategic military supply lines to India's borders with Pakistan and China, it could take weeks to regain control of the territory.
Around 300 militants had been killed since the army launched Operation Vijay (Victory) against the militants earlier this month. The army's losses include 29 killed, 128 wounded and 12 missing.
Gen Singh said India had "conclusive evidence" that Pakistani soldiers were fighting alongside the militants after an identity card of Pakistan's 4th Northern Light Infantry unit was recovered from one of the bodies. Pakistan, however, denies any involvement in Kashmir's decade-old civil war for an independent Islamic homeland in which over 18,000 people have died.
Indian troops fired mortar bombs across the military control line in Kashmir yesterday, killing at least 12 people on the Pakistani side of the disputed region, police in Muzffarabad said.
They said 25 people were wounded by the shelling on Payana village in Bhimber district. Police said a bus was also hit by the mortar fire, but it was not immediately known if there were any casualties.