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| No unilateral truce during Ramadan: Antony | | | New Delhi | Sep 19
The Indian government Wednesday ruled out a unilateral truce with terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramadan, saying the onus lay on the other side.
"We cannot decide unilaterally. It depends on them (militant groups) as well," Defence Minister A.K. Antony told on the sidelines of a Coast Guard conference here.
"How do I know what the militants will do? How can I speak for the militants?" the minister added.
He was responding to a question on whether the government was contemplating a truce in Kashmir's hinterland during Ramadan.
Earlier this month, a Pakistan-based Kashmiri militant grouping said it was ready for a truce during Ramadan if a "sincere" offer comes from 'responsible quarters in India'.
Syed Sallahuddin, chairman of the United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella group of 12 militant organisations based in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, said the militant leadership has not been approached, either directly or indirectly, with a ceasefire offer.
"However, if an honest and sincere offer about it (ceasefire) comes from responsible quarters in India, the leadership will contemplate about the truce in Ramadan," Salahuddin said in a telephonic conversation with Srinagar-based Kashmir News Service.
Sallahuddin also admitted that Pakistan had tightened noose around the militants across the border.
Speaking about the ceasefire along the Line of Control (Loc) in Kashmir, Antony said: "By and large, for the last three years, it has been holding successfully."
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