The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Nawaz Sharif, is cutting short his planned six-day visit to China because of the crisis in Kashmir, a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said yesterday.
The Chinese Premier, Mr Zhu Rongji, urged Pakistan and India to resume peace talks aimed at ending the bloody fighting in Kashmir in talks yesterday with his visiting Pakistani counterpart.
"This is an issue left over from history concerning territory, ethnic nationalities and religion and can only be resolved through peaceful methods," Mr Zhu told Mr Sharif.
"We hope to see Pakistan and India quickly resolve the issue through dialogue in order to ease the current tense situation and return south Asia to peace and stability," Mr Zhu was quoted by China Central Television as saying.
Mr Sharif arrived early yesterday for a planned six-day visit as Indian forces intensified artillery bombardments and air strikes in the Batalik sector of northern Indian-administered Kashmir.
He was quoted as telling Mr Zhu: "Pakistan is willing to quickly resume peace and stability through peace negotiations. We also hope the international community will make positive efforts."
New Delhi yesterday told the visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Mr Gibson Lanpher, that India would resume peace talks only when Pakistani forces pulled back beyond the Line of Control, the de facto border in Kashmir between the two states.
India has also rejected all suggestions of international mediation.
Mr Zhu and Mr Sharif warmly eulogised the long-standing traditional friendship between Pakistan and China yesterday and pledged to make efforts to improve relations further, the report said.
"Pakistan staunchly supports China's just position on the human rights issues in Tibet and Taiwan," Mr Sharif said.
Meanwhile, Indian troops and combat planes pounded Islamic guerrillas yesterday in Kashmir in an attempt to recapture strategic peaks, military officials said.
The renewed fighting came after the US diplomatic mission to Islamabad and New Delhi failed to yield any tangible results to end the seven-week-old Kashmir conflict.
Indian soldiers were attacking enemy positions in the Batalik and Drass sector of northern Indian Kashmir, aided by combat planes conducting round-the-clock strikes, army spokesman Col Bikram Singh said.
He said Indian troops on Sunday had repulsed an attempt by Pakistani soldiers to occupy a ridge in the south Siachen area of northern Kashmir.