Indian analysts said on Sunday the latest talks between occupied Kashmir's pro-independence leaders and Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani aimed at ending conflict in the region marked a "milestone" on the road to peace but not a decisive turning point.
Advani and leaders of the moderate wing of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference held closed-door discussions in New Delhi on Saturday, their second round since January.
Both sides emerged smiling from the meeting, which is part of a precedent-setting dialogue to halt the deadly conflict in occupied Kashmir that has claimed thousands of lives since 1989.
"We're going forward and not backwards and there is a change in thought and attitude at the ground level," Abdul Ghani Bhatt, spokesman for the moderates, said after the talks.
"We agreed to meet in June and we hope we will be discussing ideas and hope to move forward for a lasting peace. We are engaged in a serious business of the peace process," he told reporters.
On his part, Advani said "substantive issues" would be discussed in the next talks, which would depend on BJP being returned to power in general elections next month.
Analyst Pran Chopra said on Sunday the latest meeting had to be seen as a "milestone on the road to finding peace", rather than a decisive turning point.
"The key points that emerged from the meeting are Advani's assurances on human rights and political prisoners," he said.
The APHC leaders said on Saturday that the talks had reviewed progress on curbing alleged human rights abuses by occupation Indian troops deployed in occupied Kashmir.
Advani said he had given orders that (occupation) security forces "must have a human face", while discharging their duties in the heavily militarised region and "try to see that ordinary citizens are not subjected to any harassment."
He said the government had released 69 prisoners since the January meeting. However, the APHC leaders say there are at least 1,500 prisoners they want freed.
Analyst Brahma Chellany from the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research said it seemed evident that Advani's priority was the smooth staging of the upcoming polls in Kashmir.
Indian Kashmir contains six parliamentary constituencies, voting for which will take place on April 20, April 26, May 5 and May 10.
"It seems rather clear that Advani was keen to ensure peaceful polls, which is why he gave concessions on human rights and release of political prisoners."
Media reports on Sunday said Advani had offered Hurriyat a quid pro quo - if it did not call for a boycott of the poll the Indian government would recognise it as "representative of the popular will of the Kashmiris."
The Indian government has in the past refused to recognise Hurriyat as representing the people of Kashmir, as it had consistently refused to participate in New Delhi-organised polls in the region.
Polls in occupied Kashmir are usually marred by violence. Hurriyat boycotted the state assembly polls in September/October 2002.
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