News
Monday, August 18, 2008
Kashmiris repeat call for independence
* Kashmir pilgrimage ends amid violent land dispute
SRINAGAR: Scattered groups of protesters across Indian-held Kashmir repeated their call for independence on Sunday as Muslim separatist leaders prepared for a march expected to draw large crowds, AP reported. The streets of Srinagar were relatively quiet on Sunday, a day after tens of thousands of demonstrators shut down the city to honour a slain separatist leader and demand Indian forces leave Kashmir. Protests were reported in several towns in southern Kashmir, including Bijbehara and Anantnag, but security forces were sparse to avoid provoking another deadly clash. At least 34 people have been killed in more than six weeks of unrest in Indian-held Kashmir that has pitted Muslims against the region’s Hindu minority, according to AP. Separatist groups prepared for a march on Monday through downtown Srinagar that Masarat Aalam, a prominent leader, expected would draw tens of thousands of people. Leaders planned to deliver a petition to the United Nations office in Srinagar citing human rights violations by Indian authorities and demanding UN intervention, Aalam said. Indian authorities have discouraged the march and warned of a showdown if the separatists go ahead with their plans, senior police officer Afabul Mujataba said. Kashmir pilgrimage: Meanwhile, a two-month pilgrimage to a Hindu shrine in Indian Kashmir has ended after more than 500,000 people completed the trek despite violence sparked by a decision to donate land to the shrine, AFP reported. Hindu extremists attacked Muslims and blocked the only road to the Kashmir valley, sparking further protests in Muslim areas that tested India’s hold over the region. At least 31 Muslims and three Hindus have died in police firings and thousands injured in violent clashes and riots, AFP reported. However the unrest did not dissuade pilgrims from heading to the cave of Amarnath situated 3,800 metres above sea level. Officials said at least half a million people took either the 50-kilometre three-day route, or a riskier 16-kilometre one-day track. “Last prayers were held at the shrine by a group of 60 Hindu priests Saturday evening marking an end to this year’s pilgrimage,” police officer Imtiaz Ahmed told AFP. “The pilgrimage has ended peacefully and every pilgrim left satisfied.” Inside the shrine, Hindus pray before an ice stalagmite, which resembles a fertility symbol known as a lingam. It forms naturally each year from water that freezes in the cave high in the Himalayas. agencies
Courtesy Daily Times