File photo of separatist Masarat Alam
Pakistan held its first Republic Day parade in seven years on Monday, a symbolic show of strength in the war against Taliban insurgents three months after a militant attack on an army-run high school killed 132 children in Peshawar.
The Pakistan Day parade in the capital of Islamabad had been cancelled since 2008 amid fears of a Taliban attack. Mobile phone networks in the city were disabled to thwart potential bomb attacks, some roads were closed to the public and much of the city was under heavy guard for the event
In Delhi, a dinner at the Pakistan embassy to mark the occasion is being attended by Mirwaiz Uaar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, along with six other separatist leaders. The invitation to Kashmiri separatists is standard practice, but this year, controversy could erupt from the invitation extended by Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit to Masarat Alam, allegedly the main organizer of the massive protests in 2010 that saw Kashmiris clashing for months with Indian soldiers and police officers. More than 100 people were killed in the violence. Alam was released controversially from jail earlier this month and will not be in Delhi for today's event.
"I don't think the Indian government has objected (to the invite)...I suggest to media friends not to make an issue out of a non-issue," said the Pakistani envoy today. "I am not well so I will not attend...these invites come to us every year," Alam said in Kashmir.
Last year, India called off scheduled talks in Pakistan after its High Commissioner in Delhi insisted on consulting separatist leaders before the dialogue.
Earlier this month, talks were held between the Foreign Secretaries of the countries.
Today, Prime Miniser Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he had wished his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for Republic Day. "It is my firm conviction that all outstanding issues can be resolved through bilateral dialogue in an atmosphere free from terror & violence," he tweeted.