INDIAN Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was accorded the only befitting reception in Srinagar on Monday that a leader of an occupying power deserved to get when he ventures to pay a visit to the beleaguered people: A complete closure of business houses, shops, educational institutions, banks and what have you - turning the bustling valley into an eerie, deserted vastness. There was a curfew-like situation in the various towns to underscore the Kashmiris strong sense of revulsion at the visit. At quite a few places, the people remained undeterred by the security measures in force for the occasion and pelted stones on the police and even clashed with them, and shouted anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. On all approaches to the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences, where he went to deliver an address on Monday, literally thousands of security personnel stood on both sides of the roads, furnishing further proof of the fear of severe public reaction to the visit and the low ratings in which the Kashmiris hold a visiting Indian leader. Should one hope that the philosophical looking Manmohan feels compelled to reflect on how the situation fitted in with the claim of the largest democracy in the world? And would he put a stop to the brutalities and oppression to which Kashmiris are routinely subjected, and honour Indias commitment to hold a free and fair plebiscite under UN auspices? Nothing short of that could improve Indo-Pakistan relations that Dr Singh seems to be longing for in Indias own interest, as he put it in his speech. The assurance to better human rights situation is a mere hoax as long as the black laws remain on the statute book. The condition of eliminating the imaginary threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil does not square with the ground realities nor with the overriding demands of the larger questions at stake: the occupied peoples birthright to decide about their future and normalisation of relations with Pakistan for peace and prosperity in the region. As his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani has said, the peace process should be delinked from terrorism. Serious and meaningful talks on all outstanding issues are of utmost importance, with resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the centrepiece of enmity between the two countries, getting the first priority. Exposing the hypocrisy of American overtures of friendship to Pakistan and blind leanings towards India is the US view, put across most recently by Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake when he stated, that the real question is to get some progress on the trial of the Mumbai suspects that are in Pakistans custody. He does bother to hear its response that India has not provided any credible evidence of their involvement. Under the circumstances, there are no prospects of a positive outcome of the scheduled talks and, thus, no point in holding them.