Curfew imposed in Kashmir as protests spread

M.today

Kashmir, June 29: The government imposed a curfew in parts of Kashmir and deployed thousands of troops on Tuesday to quell huge anti-India protests in a region at the core of its dispute with nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan.

 

The latest round of demonstrations was sparked by the deaths of eight people blamed on government forces over the past two weeks and was one of the biggest anti-India protests in two years. Most of the dead were protesters. Six died of bullet wounds, one was hit by a tear-smoke shell and another beaten to death, hospital sources said.

 

 

If New Delhi links the protests to Islamabad then they could hurt a tentative process the two sides have begun to repair their relations after the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which India blames on Pakistan-based militants.

On Tuesday, some Indian media quoted unnamed government sources as saying Pakistan-based "elements" may have been fomenting the protests in Kashmir. Police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear patrolled deserted streets in Srinagar, the capital of the mainly Muslim Kashmir, and warned residents to stay indoors, witnesses said.

At least 13 people were injured in fresh clashes between protesters and security forces across the valley, police said. India accuses Pakistan of fuelling unrest in Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part and over which they have fought two wars. Pakistan says it only lends moral support to what it calls is an independence movement by Kashmiris.

"The discontent and alienation is in its peak now in Kashmir, and I don’t see the government making any serious efforts in addressing it," said Noor Ahmad Baba, dean of social sciences at Kashmir University.

Peace in Kashmir is seen as crucial for progress in relations between the two countries. The conflict in Kashmir has killed tens of thousands of people since a revolt against New Delhi broke out in the scenic Himalayan region two decades ago.