Fresh clashes hit Indian Kashmir

[mosfeld]

Fresh clashes hit Indian Kashmir
Many injured as separatists defy indefinite curfew imposed after day of violent protests against Indian rule.

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At least 20 people have been injured in clashes between Indian security forces and separatist protesters who defied an indefinite curfew imposed on Indian-administered Kashmir.

The government deployed thousands of security forces and imposed an indefinite curfew on Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar, on Sunday, a day after demonstrators set fire to public buildings in protest against Indian rule.

Five people were wounded when police fired live ammunition and tear gas shells in southern Kashmir to disperse a crowd throwing stones at the home of PM Syed, Kashmir's education minister.

"Syed was inside at the time of attack, but escaped unhurt," a senior police official said.

At least 15 people, including eight policemen, were injured in Sunday's clashes between government forces and stone-throwing protesters in different parts of the state, police said.

In Kashmir's north, protesters set fire to a school building and threw petrol bombs at a security patrol vehicle, police said.

The curfew was extended to other big towns in the valley in an attempt by the Indian government to respond to the biggest separatist demonstrations in two years in Kashmir, triggered by the killing of a 17-year-old student by police in June.

In Srinagar, troops equipped with assault rifles patrolled deserted streets in most districts and blocked off lanes with razor wire and iron barricades.

But clashes erupted in two residential districts of the city.

This year has been one of the most violent years in Indian-ruled Kashmir in recent times. More than 70 people have been killed so far in clashes between anti-India protesters and security forces.

Opposing views

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the main separatist leader, said he was dismayed by the lack of international concern about Kashmir.

"The UN cannot shy away from their reasonability in Kashmir. They have to talk to the leadership in India and Pakistan and tell them to stop these killings," Farooq told Al Jazeera from Srinagar.

"More than 70 people have been killed by Indian forces and not a single Indian soldier or police man has been killed. When they fire on the protesters, they don't fire to disperse. They fire to kill."

But Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said that the assurances they were given, that the protests would be peaceful, were insincere.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Srinagar, he said: "We allowed [the protesters] to march to the centre of Srinagar city and [Umar Farooq] assured us that the protest would be absolutely peaceful and that after staging a peaceful sit-in for half an hour, they would disperse from there ... [that did not happen]."

Saturday's clashes come at a time when the Indian government is discussing a proposal to water down the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. This gives Indian security forces the right to detain and interrogate anyone they think suspicious in so-called disturbed areas.

Killings of civilians have sparked anger across Kashmir, where sentiment against Indian rule runs deep

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia/2010/09/2010912142432745211.html

[mosfeld]

Violence flares in Indian Kashmir
At least 15 people dead in protests against Indian rule and Quran burning controversy.

http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images/2010/9/13/2010913155023434734_20.jpg

At least 15 people across Indian Kashmir have been killed in protests against the Indian government and reports of Quran burning, in the most deadly day of violence since mass demonstrations against Indian rule began three months ago, Indian police say.

Despite a rigid curfew imposed across the region, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Monday, throwing rocks, torching government buildings and chanting "Go India, go back. We want freedom.''

Security forces shot live ammunition at some of the crowds, killing people in at least five different villages, said a police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with media.

In the village of Tangmarg, troops fired on thousands of rock-throwing demonstrators, killing five people and wounding at least 50 others, the police officer said. Earlier, protesters burned at least four government buildings as well as a schoolhouse in the town.

In Budgam, troops tried to disperse demonstrators with tear gas and baton charges but began firing into the crowd after protesters attacked a police station and the government forces with rocks, the police officer said.

At least four people including a young woman were killed and at least 30 others were wounded, some critically, the officer said.

A policeman was also killed during the protests in Budgam after he was hit by a vehicle that then sped away, the officer said. At least four other protesters were killed in three other towns, he said.

'House arrest'

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the main separatist leader, told Al Jazeera there is no room for political protest in Kashmir.

"I have been under house arrest since Eid, many of my party have been arrested," Farooq said.

"In many places the protests are very peaceful ... troops are firing indiscriminately [at protesters]."

Despite a rigid curfew imposed across the region, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets [Reuters]

Monday's toll includes at least seven people killed in police clashes after thousands of Muslim protesters set fire to a Christian missionary school and government buildings in two Kashmiri districts to denounce reports on the Iranian state-run channel, Press TV, that copies of the Quran had been damaged in the US over the weekend.

Though a Florida pastor called off his plans to burn the Muslim holy book, the channel showed footage of a different man destroying a Quran.

The protesters chanted "Down with Quran desecrators,'' and protest leaders denounced the alleged desecration in speeches to the crowds.

The death toll was the highest since separatist protests broke out in June against Indian rule in the northern state.

Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, said India was searching for a peaceful resolution to the summer of conflict.

"We are willing to talk to every person or group which abjures violence, within the framework of our constitution,'' Singh said.

[B]'Incoherent policy'

Singh's statement came hours ahead of a meeting of top cabinet ministers that is expected to decide whether to lift the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives sweeping powers to security forces in Kashmir, as a goodwill gesture in parts of the territory that have been relatively peaceful.

Saeed Naqvi, a political commentator based in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera that Delhi has been preoccupied with other problems and ignored the Kashmir issue.

"There is a trust deficit [between India and Kashmir] and it has been addressed by inaction, unimaginative policy, even absence of policy, on the part of New Delhi," he said.

"There is angst and anger [in Kashmir]. After three months of bloodshed and agitation ... [the struggle] has acquired an intensity and velocity. All they had to do was tone down the profile of the army.

"Nobody likes a foreign army and the Indian army looks like a foreign army to them."

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia/2010/09/201091312934825752.html

[mosfeld]

Curfew extended in tense Kashmir
No decision taken on emergency security law as anti-Indian protests continue to rock region.

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Curfew has been re-imposed in the northern Indian region of Kashmir, a day after clashes between protesters and police claimed the lives of at least 18 people.

The AFP news agency reported quoting Indian officials that 10 people were wounded in Tuesday's police shooting in Srinagar and four other towns.

Saajid Haider, editor of the Kashmiri Observer, a local newspaper, told Al Jazeera that the curfew was both "suffocating" and "unprecedented in the recent past".

"We have a round-the-clock curfew, where nobody is allowed out and there is a shoot-at-sight order [...] there have been a defiance of curfew at a number of places and there is mounting anger against the oppressive policies of the state," he said.

Monday's protests against Indian rule and a Quran controversy were the most violent since mass demonstrations began in Kashmir valley three months ago.

Thousands of police have been stationed in the region to prevent further violence, while all flights to Srinagar have been suspended.

Monday's violence

Despite the curfew, thousands of protesters took to the streets on Monday, throwing rocks, torching government buildings and chanting: "Go India, go back. We want freedom."

The day's toll included at least seven people killed in police clashes after Muslim protesters set fire to a Christian missionary school and government buildings in two districts to denounce reports on the Iranian state-run channel, Press TV, that copies of the Quran had been damaged in the US over the weekend.

One police officer was also killed in the mob violence.

In depth
Probe urged into Kashmir video
Was partition worth it?
Crises dampen India celebrations
Kashmir: Cycle of violence
Losing Kashmir

Clashes over the summer have left 88 civilians dead in Kashmir, mostly killed by security forces.

AK Antony, the Indian defence minister, said the government was "pained" by the violence and admitted the situation was "very serious".

He said that an all-party meeting would be held in New Delhi on Wednesday, and the government would afterwards take a decision on whether to partially lift a 20-year-old emergency law that is despised by many in Kashmir.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act was introduced in Kashmir in 1990, giving Indian army and paramilitary troops sweeping powers to open fire, detain suspects and confiscate property, as well as protecting them from prosecution.

"Before we take a final decision, we will take into confidence all the major parties so that everybody is involved," Antony said.

Commenting on the current Kashmir situation, Haider, the newspaper editor, told Al Jazeera: "There is no political initiative coming forward and people are, in desperation, taking to the streets and getting killed.

"The problem is that the majority of the parties are in denial mode [...] the largest [Indian] opposition [party, the BJP, today is saying that the government is capitulating to the secessionsts in Kashmir."

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia/2010/09/20109148376585518.html

[mosfeld]

Kashmir crisis talks end without concrete agreement
Talks chaired by Indian PM Manmohan Singh over continuing violence in Kashmir have concluded as police shot dead four more demonstrators.

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The meeting ended with agreement to send a fact-finding team to the region.

But there was little headway made over whether or not to lift 20-year-old emergency laws that shield Indian forces from prosecution.

Nearly 100 protesters have died in anti-India protests since June and the entire Kashmir Valley is under curfew.

The prime minister told Wednesday's meeting at his home in the Indian capital, Delhi: "The only path for lasting peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir is through dialogue and discussion.

"We are ready for dialogue with anybody or any group that does not espouse or practise violence."

He added: "I was shocked and distressed to see young men and women - even children - joining the protests on the streets."

A BBC correspondent in Delhi says there is a sense of confusion among politicians - and no consensus about how to respond to the unrest.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main regional parties from Kashmir, among others, attended the talks.

The negotiations concluded with the commitment to send the fact-finding mission and by stating that the Indian constitution "provides ample scope to accommodate any legitimate political demand through dialogue, civil discourse and peaceful negotiations".

No date was given for the mission's visit, however, and there were few details as to its remit, other than an order to meet different sections of the population and gather all shades of opinion.

"The meeting is a cosmetic and half-hearted measure," said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. "Our focus continues to be on the bigger issue of resolving the Kashmir dispute."

Christian school
Meanwhile, at least 12 people were injured in addition to the four killed in clashes on Wednesday in the town of Mendhar.

Several hundred protesters were demonstrating over alleged Koran desecrations in the US and were marching towards a Christian missionary school.

"We had to open fire to quell the mob that was marching towards the missionary school with intent of setting it ablaze," a police spokesman told the BBC.

He said that at least six government buildings had been set on fire.

A Christian school in the valley was burnt down by protesters on Monday, the worst day of violence so far this summer when police shot dead 18 civilians.

The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says that the targeting of Christian institutions is highly unusual, because there has been little inter-communal violence in Indian-administered Kashmir in recent years.

Many analysts see the recent protests as the biggest challenge to Indian rule in Kashmir for two decades.

The Kashmir dispute has been the cause of major tension between India and Pakistan for six decades.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11308539

[mosfeld]

Kashmir voices: 'We are angry'

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People in Indian-administered Kashmir tell the BBC News website of their growing resentment against Indian rule, after a summer of dissent.

Police shot dead 18 civilians on Monday in the deadliest day since the latest wave of protests erupted three months ago, bringing the number of those killed to more than 80.

The latest demonstrations were sparked by reports of a Koran being publicly desecrated in the US.

A curfew is in place, and was extended on Tuesday to cover fresh areas as thousands more federal police were deployed across the valley.

I live in Pampore, a small town not far from Srinagar and famous for its saffron fields. Yesterday three people were killed by the police during protests against the desecration of the Koran.

I left my hometown to go to Delhi for work a couple of days ago, but when I spoke to my father on the phone I could hear gunfire. In the middle of our conversation, a shell landed close to our front door. My cousin was injured. Someone I have known since my childhood was also killed.

Shams Irfan, freelance journalist, Pampore

I am a journalist working for a weekly magazine. There have been huge restrictions on all Kashmiri media in the past few months. Our magazine was shut down again for two days.

They say the newspapers are creating the problems, but newspapers only tell the truth and that is what they don't want to hear.

We have to be careful not just about what we write in our articles, but also what we say on Facebook and other social networking sites. People have been rounded up by local security forces for saying things on Facebook.

Kashmiris are sentimental people. If anything happens around the world with the Koran - they will be against it.

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But the underlying anger is really against the unlawful and cruel Indian rule that has been pushing the otherwise peaceful people of Kashmir towards such "violent" protests. It is against the unnecessary fortification of Kashmir by Indian troops that causes real friction.

Why do we need a one million-strong Indian army here? To fight against the estimated 500 active militants who haven't done anything major for the past three or four years? Those who get killed are not Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, they are normal people like you and me. They are not on the streets because some jihadi in Pakistan is guiding them, they are out because they are fed up with the suffocating Indian rule.

Dr Ishiyaq Gellani, medical doctor, Srinagar

I observed the atrocities of the police forces right in front of my house yesterday. A man on a motorcycle who must have gone out to buy food for his family was beaten because he didn't stop and didn't answer the question where he was going. I think he probably didn't hear them.

He was thrown to the ground and beaten up. We were just looking from the window, too scared to leave.

We are full of fear.

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I was afraid they might notice me as I was watching and they might break into my house. These kinds of things are routine here. This happened to my neighbours - they forced their way in. There was no particular reason, I don't know what they were looking for. They do it to harass the people, to make them scared.

We are stuck in the house, we can't leave because of the curfew. Nobody can leave. People can't even go to the shop and everybody is staying indoors.

I am a doctor and I have a pass for essential service so I should be able to go out, but they still wouldn't let me leave the house. I can't even get milk for the kids.

The security forces are supposed to be there for our security, but they are killing us and that is what makes us angry. They have no respect. They even kill young children.

The protests were peaceful. None of the protesters fired a gunshot. We have had militancy before, but they are no longer active. There isn't a single gun here.

Yet they are not firing in the air, they shoot at the people directly. They aim at their heads and bodies.

Protests are not going to stop. Everyone is angry. Even the small kids, who wouldn't normally care, know everything now.

Khuram Shah, accountant, Srinagar

I work in the UK, but I've been on holiday in Kashmir for the past couple of months. This is my birthplace, I grew up here.

I am interested in photography and I went out yesterday to the protests just so that I can take photos of what is happening.

I saw the clashes between local people and the police, I saw people being killed and a local factory being burnt. I have got all this evidence of the past few days.

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People gathered to protest against the [desecration] of the Koran. It started as a small rally of about 200 people, but it grew into a few thousand. Protesters started throwing stones at the forces and that provoked the clashes.

I am stuck at home now. We can't go out. But despite the curfew there have been further clashes today. Earlier, people had gathered on the road towards the airport, about 200 yards from where I live. People were coming out of the mosque, gathering in one place. I nipped out to see what was happening.

People are very angry. They are angry with the government. Kashmir does not belong to India. But this issue has been taken to a new level. The government uses force to implement their strategies and that has been causing major discontent here over the past few months.

The government of Kashmir has closed local TV channels. They cannot broadcast the news and people are getting more and more angry because of that.

And now because of the Koran issue, Kashmiris have gone ballistic.

The government of India has spectacularly failed to solve the Kashmir issue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11296951

[mosfeld]

Kashmir unrest claims more lives
At least five protesters shot dead as Indian police clash with angry crowd in a previously quiet town.


At least five protesters have been shot dead by police as violence in Indian-administered Kashmir spreads to new areas.

The fatal shooting on Wednesday came as the Indian government held crisis talks in New Delhi to tackle the escalating unrest.

Officials said police fired on an angry crowd in the previously quiet town of Mendhar, a Muslim settlement in a Hindu-dominated area to the southwest of Kashmir, 210km from the town of Jammu.

"Four youths have been killed in the firing and several government buildings ... were attacked and burnt down by the angry protesters," Pawan Kotwal, a top local government official, told reporters.

Another death was reported by local police in the volatile northern town of Sopore, where police shot a 24-year-old man.

Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, called for calm and said he was "shocked and distressed" by the demonstrations engulfing the disputed Himalayan area.

Wednesday's toll brings to 23 the number of people killed since Monday in what has been dubbed the bloodiest days in three months of protests.

A cross-party meeting of political leaders in New Delhi ended with no new initiatives, but a decision was made to send a fact-finding mission to "meet all sections of the people and gather all shades of opinion".

Stone-throwing Kashmiris

For three months young Kashmiris have thrown stones at security forces and rallied against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region.

The clashes between the stone throwers and security agencies have left 93 people dead, according to a tally by the AFP news agency.

Many Indian politicians before Singh have tried and failed to resolve the Kashmir question, producing a deadlock over the status of the region.

Kashmir, split between India and Pakistan, is jointly administered by the two countries and has triggered two of the three wars between the nuclear-armed nations.

Singh told the meeting of political parties in New Delhi that dialogue was the only way out of the crisis, but that peace and calm had to be restored first.

"The only path for lasting peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir is that of dialogue and discussion," he said.

Al Jazeera's Divya Gopalan, reporting from New Delhi, said: "The government has time and time again put the issue on the back burner, but now as pictures of violent demonstrations and clashes are broadcast around the world, there's a realisation that any delay could re-ignite more flames of fury."

Saying Kashmir is an integral part of India, Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the ruling Congress party, urged the government to listen to the angry new generation "that has grown up in the embrace of violence, of conflict and brutality".

"We must give them hope, we must understand and respect their legitimate aspirations," she said.

Since the weekend, arson and mob attacks have risen, apparently fuelled by reports about the desecration of the Quran by a small group of Christians in Washington on Saturday.

Police in Jammu said the crowd had tried to attack a missionary school in Mendhar.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/09/201091516653488498.html

[t.shonku]

you are doing a great job mosfeld in bringing out truth.Keep up with the good work:thumbup1:

[mosfeld]

you are doing a great job mosfeld in bringing out truth.Keep up with the good work:thumbup1:

Thank you :)

The Indian state's disgusting expansion into Nepal, occupation of Kashmir, ethnic cleansing of Adivasis, etc must be brought to light. India is not this great democracy that the bourgeoisie want's the world to think it is.

[mosfeld]

Army steps in Kashmir; 3 more killed in police firing

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By MUKHTAR AHMAD | ARAB NEWS
Published: Sep 17, 2010 23:32 Updated: Sep 17, 2010 23:43

SRINAGAR: Indian army troops stepped in Friday as three more youths were killed and 20 others wounded in police firing in Kashmir. The current wave of unrest has so far claimed 94 lives and left hundreds others wounded, some of them crippled for life.

Indian army soldiers were seen patrolling the outskirts of the capital Srinagar as well as other towns Friday. The deployment of army follows the joint strategy worked out at a meeting on Wednesday of the core group held at the corps headquarters here and presided over by the army commander, Lt. Gen N.C. Marwah.

The state director general of police, Kuldeep Khuda, and other senior police and paramilitary officers attended the meeting.

The joint strategy was worked out to counter the call for sit-ins outside the army camps on Sept. 21 given by senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who is spearheading the ‘Quit Kashmir Campaign’.

A senior police officer said troops opened fire as their convoy came under stone pelting in Churpora village of Budgam district in the morning. He said four people were injured. One of them, identified as Fayaz Ahmad Dar, 22, later succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

Thousands of people staged protests against the killing.

In north Kashmir Tappar town situated on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway, pro-independence protestors stoned a passing convoy in the morning.

The troops opened fire to quell the protestors resulting in injuries to five people who were evacuated to hospital for treatment where Ghulam Rasool Bhat, 25, succumbed to his injuries despite best efforts of doctors to revive him.

Later in the afternoon, security forces again opened fire in Tapper, injuring eight more protestors who were taken to hospital for treatment. Police also opened fire on a stone-pelting mob that later torched a government building. Three youths were critically injured. One of them, identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Malla, succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital.

Mobs later torched the house of a local cop in the area.

Protests were held across the valley after Friday prayers with protestors chanting ‘Freedom Freedom’ and ‘Go India, Go Back’. Mobs defied curfew and staged the protests in capital Srinagar and other towns.

Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq in a statement strongly condemned “the collective punishment being inflicted upon the entire population of the valley for pursuing their just cause for the resolution of Kashmir issue.”

http://arabnews.com/world/article141088.ece

[mosfeld]

Sit-in call by Geelani a new challenge for army

By MUKHTAR AHMED | ARAB NEWS
Published: Sep 16, 2010 23:27 Updated: Sep 17, 2010 01:22

SRINAGAR/ MUZAFFARABAD: Indian Kashmir's top separatist called on Thursday for protesters to block police and army camps with sit-ins, posing a new challenge to security forces as they struggle to restore order.

"People should stage peaceful sit-ins outside the army camps to remind the troopers to stop human rights violations in Kashmir and leave it," Syed Ali Geelani, who has led protests since June, told reporters in Srinagar. He said the elders should "hand over letters to this effect to the officers in charge of the camps."

Geelani told a news conference that sit-ins should be ensured to remain peaceful. "The protests on Sept. 21 will be peaceful where people will chant slogans like 'Go India, Go Back!," Geelani said, adding that petitions would also be handed to army camp officers urging them to leave Kashmir.

The new action, the first of its kind in the wave of demonstrations, will begin next Tuesday, said the 81-year-old leader, who has set a calendar for protests that has been rigorously followed to date.

Eight people were injured Thursday when Indian security forces opened fire on stone-throwing protesters in Kashmir, in the latest violence to hit the region, police said.

The protesters were injured when security forces opened fire at two separate places in Sopore town, 50 km north of Indian Kashmir summer capital of Srinagar, a police spokesman said. The condition of two of the injured is critical, he said.

"Security forces had to open fire as they were attacked with stones and bricks in the evening," the spokesman said.

Separately Thursday nine militants were killed in two separate gunfights between militants and Indian security forces in north Kashmir frontier Gurez and in south Kashmir Tral town. "In the ongoing operations by the army, 30 terrorists have been killed between Sept. 1 and Sept. 16 in the Valley," the defense spokesman said.

The death toll from three months of unrest rose to 94 on Thursday after the cousin of another separatist leader, Yasin Malik, died of injuries suffered in a shooting last month, Malik's spokesman said.

Also on Thursday, five paramilitary officers were injured in the main town of Srinagar when their vehicle crashed as a small group of protesters defied a curfew and pelted them with stones, a police spokesman said.

All major towns in Kashmir remained under curfew for the fifth day, leading to complaints from locals that they were running low on food and water.

A wave of disappointment swept across curfewed Indian Kashmir after no concrete results emerged out of a government meeting aimed at ending spiraling protests.

In New Delhi, the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh faced criticism from several commentators after a five-hour crisis meeting between political leaders held in the capital on Wednesday.

"Wars are won and insurrection defeated by leaders, not committees," wrote commentator Manoj Joshi in the Mail Today newspaper. "The Manmohan Singh government seems bent on defying this logic." Samar Halarnkar, writing in the Hindustan Times, said "the all-party meeting in Delhi has utterly failed to address the (Kashmir) valley's realities." He warned of the insurgency getting a new lease of life unless the grievances of local people were addressed.

"Ironically, India is talking through the barrel of gun," said separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference. "Curfew, talks, peace efforts, meetings and killings can't go together." Even pro-Indian Kashmiri parties have criticized the government. Kashmir's opposition Peoples' Democratic Party said the outcome was cosmetic and demanded freeing jailed protesters.

The continuing cycle of strikes and curfews has shut down schools, colleges and offices, stopped newspapers from being printed, and made food and medicine scarce.

"My son is on a life-saving drug, he has medicines left for the next two only," said Imtiyaz Shah, a 44-year-old hotelier. "I feel so helpless."

Kashmiris face a government that has placed little priority on finding a solution to Kashmir, an issue that has little electoral impact across the rest of the country.

"Well, the outcome of yesterday's meeting in New Delhi is a statement from Indians that they don't care about Kashmiri Muslims," said Rehana Gouse, a 32-year-old school teacher.

"Our children are brutally killed by forces, we are living in jail for the past three months." Part of the anger is directed against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFPSA), which gives security forces sweeping powers to shoot, arrest, search and detain people in battling the insurgency in Kashmir.

"I expect nothing from New Delhi, who are helpless on revoking draconian laws like AFSPA which means a soldier has the right to shoot you on mere suspicion," said 24-year-old-student Zubiar Khan.

Meanwhile, Pakistanis set fire to an effigy of Singh, marching to protest against India over three months of violence.

More than 500 supporters and activists from jihadi groups took part in the protest march in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

They marched through the regional capital Muzaffarabad, before setting on fire the Indian flag and an effigy of Singh.

The crowd shouted "Go India, go back," carrying placards scrawled with slogans such as "Indian dogs, go back" and calling for jihad (holy war).

"India is forcing us to cross the Line of Control and we will, if it does not stop atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir," said Syed Salahuddin, a leader of militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahedin which is fighting Indian rule in Kashmir.

Abdul Aziz Alvi, who is the head in Pakistani-administered Kashmir of the charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is on a UN terror blacklist and is also officially banned in Pakistan, said they would continue their jihad against India.

"We are waiting for the international community's reaction to stop Indian atrocities and after that we will reply -- bullet with bullet," he said.

— With input from agencies

http://arabnews.com/world/article140301.ece

[mosfeld]

Kashmiris locked up, hurt, humiliated by curfew

Toufiq Rashid, Hindustan Times
Email Author
New Delhi, September 16, 2010First Published: 01:25 IST(16/9/2010)
Last Updated: 12:04 IST(16/9/2010)

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As Delhi debated concessions for troubled Kashmir on Wednesday, the streets were seething with anger over one of the biggest — but unacknowledged — causes for growing alienation: Stifling curfews and humiliation by security forces. For the first time in 10 years, the entire Valley is under curfew—one of the strictest as the unrest enters the 94th day.
People are running out of milk, vegetables and baby food. Those who leave home for essentials are chased down by security forces and, if caught, rarely escape unhurt. The police said a curfew implies restrictions, but the often-brutal enforcement is spreading anger.

On the Internet and in homes, there's a term for it — "collective punishment". Paramilitary officer Prabhakar Tripathi admitted to HT "some men don't seem to be listening" to "clear directives" for restraint.

"People are being manhandled everywhere, even in upmarket Rajbagh, where stone-pelting is unheard of," said Sajad Ahmed, repeatedly beaten outside his Rajbagh office on Wednesday after an altercation with a CRPF trooper. "Our staff has been living in office since curfew began and we just wanted to find food for them."

Ahmed was luckier than most, as he works for the media. The CRPF removed the erring trooper and registered a rare formal complaint. Most incidents have gone unreported over the last three months, with most resigning to humiliation.

On Monday, when 17 people were killed and 100 injured across the Valley in Koran-burning rumours, only four of 60 ambulance drivers were available by noon at the Valley's premium medical facility, the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences. Police did not allow 56 drivers to report for work.

One of them was Abdul Rashid (57), who said he was picking up hospital staff when he was pulled over. "They stopped me at 9 am, pulled me out of the vehicle and tore my curfew pass," Rashid told a news portal. "The man abused me and struck his rifle butt against the ambulance door. This, despite explaining how important it was for me to get to work."

Dr Waseem Qureshi, medical superintendent of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, another major hospital in Srinagar, said the situation improved on Wednesday after complaints.

CRPF spokesman Tripathi, who also commands a battalion, acknowledged excesses.

"We have asked our men to honour curfew passes and be considerate... but those who try to break curfew will face problems," he said.

"In some places an argument leads to beating... Complaints can be registered with the local commandant and action will be taken."

Tripathi said new battalions coming to the state were "being sensitised" to be more humane.

"Milkmen who make early rounds have told us how security forces have spilled their supplies and beaten them," said Mohammed Sheikh, a storeowner, "For three days my customers have been asking for milk but I have nothing to offer."

Ashiq Hussein, from Nowpora in downtown Srinagar recounted how a fisherwomen was beaten: "She later said she had no money to feed her children, that's why she ventured out in the curfew."

Tripathi said personnel on the streets are often the main target of stone-pelting mobs and sometimes take out their frustration on commuters.

Asif Qureshi, bureau chief of Star News, was recently made to clear stones on the roadside by the CRPF.

"All Kashmiris represent stone-pelters for securitymen," he said. "They asked me to clear the road, telling me my brethren had thrown them."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/chunk-ht-ui-indiasectionpage-north/Kashmiris-locked-up-hurt-humiliated-by-curfew/Article1-600653.aspx

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Kashmir clashes continue as residents defy curfew
Police and protesters have clashed violently in Indian-administered Kashmir as residents continued to defy a valley-wide curfew

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49151000/jpg/_49151914_tv010213452.jpg

In Anantnag, government forces opened fire on a funeral gathering, killing one civilian and wounding several.

In Palhalan, AFP reported that police fired on demonstrators trying to block a highway, killing two men.

Anti-India sentiment is high in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where more than 100 protesters have died since June.

Nearly all of those killed have been shot dead by government forces. The valley has been under an almost round-the-clock curfew for more than a week.

Conflicting accounts

In Anantnag, south of Srinagar, thousands defied the curfew and gathered to mourn 17-year-old Fayaz Ahmad, whose body was recovered from a river on Saturday morning.

Residents said the boy drowned when he was chased by paramilitary soldiers trying to break up an anti-India rally earlier in the week.

Police and soldiers opened fire on a group of mourners, but there are conflicting accounts of the incident.

A police official told AP news agency the shots were fired after some mourners tried to set fire to the house of a pro-India politician. But a resident denied this, telling AP that the gunfire was "unprovoked".

Quoting another police officer, AFP news agency said that security forces shot at a crowd who pelted stones at officials as they recovered the body from the river.

The Kashmir dispute has been the cause of major tension between India and Pakistan for six decades.

Many analysts see the recent protests as the biggest challenge to Indian rule in Kashmir for 20 years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11355779

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3 killed in fresh violence in Kashmir

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/thumb.cms?msid=6581340&width=300&resizemode=4

SRINAGAR: Three persons were killed and 30 others injured in fresh violence in Kashmir on Saturday even as curfew was relaxed in parts of Srinagar, the hub of ongoing protests in the Valley which entered 100th day.

Two persons were killed and three others sustained injuries as security forces allegedly opened fire on a group of persons coming out of a mosque at Palhalan in Pattan area, 32 kms from here, in Baramulla district.

The deceased were identified as Ansarullah Tantray and Ali Mohammad Waza.

Although local residents alleged that the firing by security forces was unprovoked, a police spokesman said a mob tried to block the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway and started heavy stone pelting on security forces.

"As security forces tried to control the situation, three persons were injured," he said.

Clashes erupted in Anantnag town, 52 km from here in south Kashmir, after the body of a 10-year-old boy, missing since Monday, was fished out from river Jhelum, official sources said.

Thousands of residents of Nathpora in Khanabal and adjoining areas in Anantnag defied curfew and took out a procession with the body of the boy, Maroof Ahmad Nath.

Maroof had jumped into the river when protestors were allegedly being chased by securitymen during a clash.

The protestors raised slogans while a section of the crowd started throwing stones targeting the security forces, the sources said. The security personnel first lobbed tear smoke shells and then allegedly opened fire, resulting in injuries to 15 people.

One of the injured persons, identified as Nooruddin Dagga, succumbed at a hospital.

Officials said the protestors threw stones at the house of a Samajwadi Party leader, Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, and tried to torch it when the security forces opened fire.

Another youth, Fayaz Ahmad Naiko, who was injured in stone pelting on Tuesday in Bemina area of the city, succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS Hospital at Soura.

A youth was injured in police action against a stone pelting mob at Harin in Kupwara district, 100 kms from here, in north Kashmir.

The toll in the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, which entered its 100th day on Saturday, climbed to 99 even as curfew continued in most parts of Valley for the sixth consecutive day.

Curfew was, however, relaxed for varying periods across the Srinagar city and Kakapora town in south Kashmir Pulwama district, providing much-needed relief to the people in these areas after six days, a police spokesman said.

Curfew was initially relaxed in South and East Zones of the city and Kakapora town for four hours. However, the relaxation was later extended for three more hours as no untoward incident was reported.

While curfew had to be reimposed in Batamaloo area of the city due to stone pelting incidents, there was no relaxation in Maisuma and Kralkhud police station areas.

Curfew was relaxed in the rest of the city at 3 pm and the relaxation period passed off peacefully, barring some incidents of stone pelting in old city areas in which 12 policemen were injured.

The prohibitory order was imposed in Srinagar on Sunday following violent protests and incidents of arson on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. It was extended to the entire Valley the next day as protests and violence spread to other parts of Kashmir.

Meanwhile, a house of a policeman was set on fire by a mob late last night in Pinjoora village in Shopian district in south Kashmir, police said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/3-killed-in-fresh-violence-in-Kashmir/articleshow/6580772.cms

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Kashmir protests greet Indian MPs
Politicians cut short visit to Srinagar hospital after being heckled by pro-independence protesters.

http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images/2010/9/21/20109219223657734_20.jpg

Kashmiri protesters seeking independence from Indian rule have heckled a visiting team of legislators from New Delhi, forcing the politicians to cut short a visit to a hospital in Srinagar, the region's summer capital.

Angry protesters and patients' relatives greeted the members of parliament after they arrived at the main hospital to meet patients injured in three months of clashes between stone-throwing protesters and security forces, who often used live ammunition to quell the protests.

"The lawmakers were hurried away after just 10 minutes as people inside the hospital chanted slogans against rule from New Delhi," a witness who declined to be named told AFP news agency.

"Even some hospital staff and relatives of the injured by police firing were shouting 'Go India, Go back!' at the delegates, who looked very scared and shocked."

He said police at the hospital had beaten up and detained two teenage boys who were among the scores of people shouting at the MPs.

The politicians from New Delhi were part of an all-party delegation sent to Kashmir to difuse tensions in the region where more than 100 civilians have been killed during a wave of separatist protests.

Separatists boycott talks

A total of 37 politicians, led by P Chidambaram, India's home minister, were snubbed by many local Kashmiri leaders who want either autonomy or complete independence for the Muslim-majority region.

Syed Ali Geelani, a key separatist who has organised the almost daily protests, refused to attend Monday's talks at a conference centre in Srinagar.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, who are considered to be moderate separatist leaders, also dismissed the delegation, describing it as a publicity stunt to disguise the government's lack of ideas on how to end the escalating unrest in Kashmir.

However, some MPs met a group of separatist leaders, who were put under house arrest on Monday.

Divya Gopalan, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Srinigar, said India's right-wing BJP party criticised the delegation for visiting the separatist leaders at their homes.

'Break the ice'

"The move has shown certain cracks. The nationalist BJP party has said the talks should not have taken place as it wasn't a collective decision," she said.

"But one of the leaders we spoke to [who spoke with seperatists] said it was necessary to break the ice, so that the people of Kashmir would know they were listening to all issues from all sides.

"Sitaram Yechury, the Communist party leader, said they first want to restore normalcy, then whatever issues are there are can be discussed."

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who met the delegation despite being dismissive of the visit, told the MPs: "We don't want to live in a constant state of fear and state terrorism, Kashmir is an international dispute and it has to be addressed according to the wishes of the people."

"The fact that the city is locked down under a curfew and residents cannot leave their houses while these politicians are here says everything," he said.

"They must meet the common people if they want to hear the real aspirations of Kashmiris. They already know the truth about the curfews and police brutality."

Geelani spurned New Delhi's offers of economic assistance for the state, saying "we want independence".

Indian accuses Pakistan of stoking the unrest in Kashmir, a charge vehemently denied by Islamabad.

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia/2010/09/20109218042398553.html

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“The people of Kashmir have shown great bravery and mental strength in combating the security forces by just throwing stones at them. The people here are inspired by their courage and we’ll follow this model of protest in the coming days,”

Asit Mahato, spokesperson of the PCAPA

http://www.revleft.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1872428&postcount=232

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1 more death takes Kashmir toll to 104, curfew clamped

SRINAGAR: Curfew remained in force in Kashmir Valley for the 11th day on Wednesday even as the death toll in the ongoing agitation rose to 104 after a youth succumbed to his injuries in a hospital here.

Although curfew was relaxed in a phased manner across the Valley yesterday, the authorities decided to impose it today apparently in view of the weekly agitation calender issued by hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

The death toll in the ongoing agitation today rose to 104 after a youth, allegedly injured in firing by security forces on September 13 at Humhama in Budgam district, died, the spokesman said.

Sajad Ahmad Pandit, a resident of Shiekhpora in Humhama area, succumbed to injuries at SKIMS Hospital here early this morning, he said.

The hardline leader had exempted the day from protests and strikes, and asked people to carry out their normal activities.

A police spokesman said the preceding night passed off peacefully while the law and order situation across the Valley so far was normal and under control.

"There are no reports of any untoward incident from any where in the Valley so far," the spokesman said.

Curfew restrictions continued to remain in force in all the major towns of Kashmir Valley, including the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

The other towns include Warpora, Mirgund, IG road, Nadir gund, Budgam town, Choon, Humhama, Wattdara, Gogoo, Ompora, Narkara, Shiekhpora, Galwanpora, Chadoora, Panzan, Nagam, Machawa, Kralpora, Wathora, Dawlatpora, Hassipora, Alamdar Colony, Charar-i-Shareif in central Kashmir Budgam district.

Kangan and Ganderbal towns in the north east of Srinagar, Anantang, Bijbehara, Kulgam town Qoimoh, Pulwama town, Kakapora, Shopian town, Awantipora, Lethpora, and Pampore in South Kashmir and Baramulla town, Delina, Pattan, Singhpora, Kunzar, Palhalan, Tangmarg, Soporetown, Wattergam, Kralpora, Trehgam, Kupwara town, Handwara town, Kulangam, Chotipora,Bandipora town, and Sumbal in north Kashmir also remained under curfew.

Curfew was imposed in Srinagar city on September 12 and was extended to the entire Kashmir Valley next day following widespread violence.

Kashmir Valley has been in grip of violent protests since June 11 when a 17-year-old boy was killed after he was hit by a tear smoke shell fired by police to disperse protestors at Rajouri Kadal in interior city.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1-more-death-takes-Kashmir-toll-to-104-curfew-clamped/articleshow/6606278.cms#ixzz10ITxljUW

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India: Urgent need for Government to act as death toll rises in Kashmir

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17 September 2010

With an increasing death toll in protests in Kashmir, Amnesty International calls on the Indian authorities to take urgent steps to ensure respect for the right to life and to investigate past killings of demonstrators by police.

With two more protestors shot dead today, Amnesty International urges the Indian government to immediately instruct the security forces not to use firearms against demonstrators, Security forces should use the minimum force necessary to defend themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. They should not employ intentional lethal use of firearms except where such use is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.

Ninety-six people have been killed since June when protests broke out in Jammu and Kashmir after the killings of three young men, reportedly by the security forces, in March. The vast majority of these killings have been at the hands of police and paramilitary forces.

An inquiry ordered by the authorities into 11 of the deaths by shooting in July has failed to make headway. Amnesty International renews its call to the government to initiate an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into all the killings. Members of the security forces responsible for excessive use of force in demonstrations should be brought to justice.

In the last week alone, at least 23 people were killed and 80 others injured in shootings by the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) paramilitary personnel. Protestors defied curfew regulations, held demonstrations and often clashed with the security personnel.

Protests in several places turned violent as demonstrators hurled stones at the security forces in the last week. Reports about threats to burn the Quran in the United States increased tensions. Demonstrators attacked two Christian schools and a hospital, burning one of the schools.

At the same time human rights activists in Srinagar told Amnesty International that on a number of occasions the security forces shot protestors who were throwing stones at them
.

A number of towns in the Kashmir valley including Srinagar have been under 24 hour curfew for the last five days.

Information about these events has been restricted as a result of strict enforcement of the curfew regulations. Journalists have informed Amnesty International that, despite possessing curfew passes issued by the authorities, they have been prevented by the police and the paramilitary personnel from leaving their homes. With journalists unable to report on the situation, a number of regional television stations and newspapers have suspended their work.

Any restrictions on the rights to freedom of movement or freedom of expression imposed for the protection of public order should only be such as are necessary and proportionate for that purpose and should be consistent with the state’s other human rights obligations. In view of the key role of journalists in facilitating exercise the right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to receive information. Amnesty International calls on the Indian authorities to ensure that journalists can obtain curfew passes and are not harassed or otherwise obstructed while carrying out their professional functions of reporting and imparting information on issues of public concern.

More public protests have been announced for 21 September by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), one of the largest political formations in Jammu and Kashmir. This underlines the urgency for the Indian authorities to instruct the security forces not to use lethal force when dealing with demonstrations.

The demonstrations began in late May over the reported extrajudicial execution of three young men by the Army at Machil in Baramulla district. Protests increased after 17-year old Tufail Mattoo was killed by security forces in Srinagar during a demonstration on 11 June. They have intensified during repeated cycles of protests and further killings of demonstrators by security forces.

The demonstrators have raised various concerns about the lack of accountability of the security forces; the withdrawal of Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958; the removal of Army camps – along with an underlying demand of independence for Kashmir.

The AFSPA, which gives special powers of immunity to the security forces, has been in force in parts of Jammu and Kashmir since 1990. The Central Government is currently debating the withdrawal of the AFSPA from a few of its districts.

One of the key demands of the state authorities and protesting organizations, namely the withdrawal of the AFSPA, does not appear to figure in the agenda of the all-party team from Delhi scheduled to visit Srinagar on 20 September.

Under the AFSPA, soldiers are protected from any legal proceedings unless specifically sanctioned by the Central Government. This rarely happens in practice, allowing armed forces personnel to violate human rights with impunity.

http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com/2010/09/india-urgent-need-for-government-to-act.html

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Curfew imposed after Kashmir pro-independence leader arrested
By Mukhtar Ahmad, For CNN

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/19/india.kashmir.arrest/t1larg.jpg

Srinagar, India (CNN) -- Indian authorities Tuesday slapped a curfew on Srinagar and other towns after the arrest of a major separatist leader in an attempt to stave off violence that has killed over 100 people in the last four months.

Masarat Alam Bhat, the general secretary of the hard-line All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) group and a close aide of the octogenarian separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested Monday evening in a Srinagar suburb.

Bhat has been evading arrest since June when he launched the so-called "Quit Kashmir campaign" which set off a sequence of shutdowns, protests, marches and curfews that have virtually brought life in Indian administered Kashmir to a standstill for over four months.

The accompanying clashes between pro-independence protesters and Indian security forces have left 108 dead and hundreds others wounded, some of them crippled for life.

"We arrested him yesterday evening," said police officer Muzaffar Ahmad.

Bhat was immediately taken to an undisclosed location in Srinagar for questioning. Authorities described Bhat's arrest as "a major success."
The hard-line separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, reacting to Bhat's arrest said, "Arrests and detentions are part and parcel of the freedom movement. The arrest is painful but the struggle will continue."

Fearing trouble in the wake of his arrest, authorities imposed a curfew in Srinagar and other major north Kashmir towns and deployed police and paramilitary forces to prevent violence, according police.

The mountainous Kashmir region is divided among Pakistan, China and India. In the past, India has poured thousands of security forces into its part of Kashmir to fight what India called a Pakistan-inspired insurgency. However, since the defeat of the insurgency, Indian forces have found themselves fighting Kashmiris who say they have suffered oppression and want independence from Hindu-dominated India.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/19/india.kashmir.arrest/

[Razor]

If India had respected the rules of partition this would never have happened. Kashmir had a Hindu ruler and a majority Muslim population and according to the rules of partition, the decision had to be made by a referendum vote. However Indian government apparently accepted the accession of the Hindu ruler days after his people rebelled against him.
The original document of accession was lost in a fire before the UN or Pakistanis had a chance to see it. hmm.

Compare Kashmir with two other regions that you have probably never heard about. Jungadh: Muslim ruler with a majority Hindu population. The Muslim leader voted for Pakistan, however Pakistans founder M.A Jinnah didnt accept this accession and demanded a referendum for the Hindus of the region. Sadly the referendum was never held and Indians invaded that region anyway.
The other region is Hyderabad. The region had a sizeable Muslim population and a Muslim ruler who wanted to join Pakistan. Indian government instigated a rebellion by Hindus and (unlike Kashmir) bypassed the ruler of the region altogether and invaded Hyderabad. Another win for democracy.

Kashmir became a problem because Pakistan managed to capture a significant portion of Kashmir so Indians went to the UN thinking the dodgy accession would be accepted. UN however asked for a referendum result because Indian Government couldnt produce the original copy...and well 63 years later no referendum has taken place. Instead 600 000 troops in a valley of 5 million people.

Worlds largest democracy is not so fond of the democratic process. The upsetting thing is the Indian attitude towards anyone who rebels, whether Sikhs, eastern Indians, Communists, Kashmiris, Dalits, Muslims, Christians, the result is always military action.

Indian public has no regard for Kashmiri people, and only want their land. In fact many Indian politicians openly tell the Kashmiri people to "fuck off to Pakistan". Most Indians today insist on ending the dispute by ignoring it. Some are offended by suggestions that Pakistan should be included in talks, and some insist there is no dispute at all, just terrorists pretending there is.

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Strike disrupts normal life in major towns of Kashmir

Normal life was disrupted in Srinagar and other major towns of Kashmir Valley today due to a strike called by the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference.

The main markets in the towns wore a deserted look with shops, business establishments and private offices closed and most of the public transport off the roads. However, private and commercial vehicles were seen plying in large numbers on almost all routes.

The strike had little impact in smaller towns, including Chrar-e-Sharief in central Kashmir's Budgam district, Tangmarg, Uri, Karnah and Tanghdar in north Kashmir's Baramulla and Kupwara districts and Kokernag in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, where most of the shops opened and transport services were operating normally.

Security forces were patrolling different areas of Srinagar and other major towns to maintain law and order and scuttle protests.

Hurriyat Conference, which is spearheading the ongoing agitation in the Valley, had called for a strike today and asked people to stage protest demonstrations at district headquarters.

A police spokesperson said the situation across the Valley was normal and there were no reports of any untoward incident so far.

Kashmir Valley has been in the grip of protests, strikes and curfew since June when a 17-year-old boy was killed by a tear smoke shell allegedly fired by police at Rajouri Kadal area of the city.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_strike-disrupts-normal-life-in-major-towns-of-kashmir_1461613

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Curfew lifted across Kashmir, but strike disrupts normal life

Curfew was lifted today from all parts of Kashmir but normal life was disrupted in the Valley due to a three-day strike call given by hardline Hurriyat Conference to focus on the Kashmir issue during US President Barack Obama's visit to India. A police spokesman said curfew has been lifted from


all parts of Kashmir and the situation across the Valley so far was peaceful. "There is no curfew or restrictions in place anywhere in the Kashmir Valley," he said.
Curfew was imposed in nine police station areas of Srinagar city yesterday as a precautionary measure as authorities apprehended protests and stone-pelting incidents in these areas after Friday congregational prayers.

The life in the Valley, however, was disrupted due to the strike call given by the Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani to highlight the Kashmir issue while the US President was in India. Geelani had asked people to observe 'civil curfew' for three days from today, when Obama arrives in the country.

Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani called for a three-day shutdown in the Kashmir Valley beginning Saturday to coincide with US President Barack Obama's visit to India. The authorities, however, did not impose any curfew here.

"It does not matter whether anybody talks about us or not. The fact is that peace in South Asia would remain elusive unless the people of Kashmir are given their basic right to freedom," Geelani, who has been spearheading the Quit Kashmir campaign for over four months now, told reporters.

He was referring to media reports that Obama might not refer to Kashmir during his visit to India.

Shops, other businesses, public transport, educational institutions remained closed in Srinagar city and other major towns of the valley in response to the shutdown call, but privately owned vehicles plied in some parts here.

"No curfew has been imposed anywhere in Srinagar city today (Saturday). Restrictions have been imposed in north Kashmir Sopore, Palhalan, Delina and south Kashmir Anantnag towns, but these are purely preventive in nature," a senior police official said.

"Movements of office-goers, patients and school children are being allowed in areas under restrictions," the official said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Curfew-lifted-across-Kashmir-but-strike-disrupts-normal-life/Article1-622583.aspx

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Anti-India protests held in south Kashmir

Srinagar, November 06 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, thousands of people staged massive demonstrations at Hatmulla in Islamabad, today, against the harassment of Sikh community members by the Indian troops, last evening.

Thousands of men, women and children of the Sikh community joined by the Muslims took to the streets and staged anti-India demonstrations. The protestors while chanting anti-India slogans said that the troopers of Army’s 3 Rashtriya Rifles barged into the houses and harassed the Sikh community members.

They demanded identification and punishment for the Army men involved in intimidation of the Sikhs in the area. “We will not be bowed down by such cheap acts. We demand identification and punishment for the troopers responsible for the act,” President, Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee Hatmulla, Sardar Niranjan Singh said while addressing the demonstrators. »

http://www.kmsnews.org/news/anti-india-protests-held-south-kashmir

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Separatists call for Kashmir shutdown during Obama’s visit

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/images/Barack%20Obama-360346.jpg

Srinagar, Nov 6 (IANS) Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani called for a three-day shutdown in the Kashmir Valley beginning Saturday to coincide with US President Barack Obama’s visit to India. The authorities, however, did not impose any curfew here.

“It does not matter whether anybody talks about us or not. The fact is that peace in South Asia would remain elusive unless the people of Kashmir are given their basic right to freedom,” Geelani, who has been spearheading the Quit Kashmir campaign for over four months now, told reporters.

He was referring to media reports that Obama might not refer to Kashmir during his visit to India.

Shops, other businesses, public transport, educational institutions remained closed in Srinagar city and other major towns of the valley in response to the shutdown call, but privately owned vehicles plied in some parts here.

“No curfew has been imposed anywhere in Srinagar city today (Saturday). Restrictions have been imposed in north Kashmir Sopore, Palhalan, Delina and south Kashmir Anantnag towns, but these are purely preventive in nature,” a senior police official said.

“Movements of office-goers, patients and school children are being allowed in areas under restrictions,” the official said.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/separatists-call-for-kashmir-shutdown-during-obamas-visit_100455478.html

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Indian troops kill two in Kashmir border clash

SRINAGAR, India — Soldiers shot dead two suspected militants on Sunday after they crossed into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani side of the disputed region, an army spokesman said.
The two were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) -- the de facto border that splits Kashmir between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan -- in the southern Poonch sector, the Indian army spokesman said.
"The operation in the area is still going on," he said, adding that militants were desperate to get into Indian Kashmir before the Himalayan passes get blocked by snow.
The insurgency against Indian rule has left more than 47,000 people dead since it erupted in 1989, according to an official count.
Pakistan denies Indian allegations that it funds and arms rebels in Indian Kashmir.
Violence had eased after India and Pakistan launched a peace process in 2004 but popular protests against Indian rule since June have left more than 110 protesters and bystanders dead.
The unrest has left the government grappling for solutions to the outpouring of anger in the region, where popular desire for an independent Kashmir remains strong.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced in October that the government had selected senior journalist Dilip Padgaonkar and professors M.M. Ansari and Radha Kumar to hold talks with separatists and ordinary people in the troubled state.
"There is a need to involve Pakistan for finding a durable solution to the Kashmir problem," Kumar told reporters on Sunday in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir.
She said she favoured confidence building measures like release of political prisoners arrested for taking part in or organising anti-India protests.
The experts have held talks with pro-India Kashmiri politicians, students, traders and jailed militants.
Separatist politicians have declined to meet them, describing the exercise as "futile" and a "time-gaining" tactic by New Delhi.
But Kumar said they were hopeful of a meeting with the separatists.
"We would want to meet the separatists on every trip to the state and I hope we will meet them soon... it is a hope," she said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5geuw4ZGTHzSpXysuf-bps9WCKHJQ?docId=CNG.6fd6a816fa2b4286b8457e1c9184f 31c.181

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Militant, cop killed in Sopore gunbattle

One militant and a policeman from the special operation group were killed in a gunbattle in north Kashmir’s Sopore district on Friday. Around 5am, a joint operation of the police’s special operation group, the army’s 22 Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF 176 Battalion personnel cordoned off Krankshivan


Naseem Bagh village in Sopore.
The security personnel had zeroed in on a house where intelligence reports had been received about the presence of militants. “The militants opened fire at the search team and the police retaliated. The firefight continued for at least 10 minutes,” said a police officer.

One militant was killed in the retaliatory fire. One policeman, constable Mohammad Rafiq, who tried to get close to the house, was hit by the militants’ bullets. “The policeman succumbed to his injuries later,” said the officer.

Reinforcements were sent to the spot later and the search operation continued for most part of the day.

Sources told the Hindustan Times that there were two more militants in the house who managed to escape. The slain militant is a local identified as Manzoor Ahmad of Sangrama area in north Kashmir.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Militant-cop-killed-in-Sopore-gunbattle/Article1-625496.aspx

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Two Indian solders killed Held Kashmir

http://www.islamidavet.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Indian-paramilitary-soldiers.jpg

SRINAGAR, (SANA): Unidentified gunmen killed two Indian Held Paramilitary CRPF troopers in a busy market of North Kashmir’s Pattan area here on Thursday.

CRPF Spokesman Prabhakar Tripathi said, the killed CRPF men identified as Hawaldar Om Prakash and Balram Teja. “Both of them belonged to 154 Battalion B Company of CRPF. The militants fled from the spot,” he added.

He said that the incident occurred in the evening time in Pattan town on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Highway. “There was heavy rush in the Pattan market,” Tripathi said. “The militants took advantage of the crowd and shot both of them from a close range with the aid of pistol.”

Eyewitnesses said Om Prakash died on the spot while Balram Teja succumbed to injuries on way to sub-district hospital Pattan.

The official also said that the militants managed to escape from the spot along with the rifles of both the CRPF solders.

http://www.sananews.net/english/2010/11/12/two-indian-solders-killed-held-kashmir/

[mosfeld]

Kashmir rebels kill two Indian policemen

SRINAGAR, India — Suspected Muslim militants shot dead two policemen on Wednesday in the latest violence to strike revolt-hit Indian Kashmir, police said.
The attacks were the first since US President Barack Obama said in New Delhi Monday that Washington could not "impose" a solution on India and Pakistan's dispute over Kashmir -- which has sparked two wars between the neighbours.
"Pistol-wielding militants walked up to the policemen and shot them dead at point-blank range," a police spokesman said.
The shootings took place in Patan town, 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Indian Kashmir summer capital of Srinagar.
"The militants seized the rifles of the dead policemen and fled the scene," the spokesman said.
Security forces sealed the area and launched a search to "arrest or eliminate" the militants involved in the attack.
Muslim rebels have carried out similar attacks in the past.
Kashmir is in the grip of a 21-year-old insurgency against Indian rule that has left at least 47,000 people dead by official count.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each hold part of Kashmir and claim it in full.
Overall militant violence has declined in Kashmir since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004.
But the region has been roiled by massive protests against Indian rule since early June that have left some 111 protesters and bystanders dead.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gaHSNxhEBzFsx5T3io0NWxVZE36g?docId=CNG.7519e a77fb6d51429d94cb118c9ef1bf.271

[mosfeld]

101 civilians killed in Kashmir since June

New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) The number of deaths in the recent turmoil in Kashmir stood at 102. Of these victims, 101 were civilians and one was a Jammu and Kashmir policeman, the government informed the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

'The law and order situation in Kashmir was normal till June 11, when a cycle of violence engulfed the valley. As per report of the state government, 2,213 incidents of stone pelting from June to Oct 29, have been recorded,' said Ajay Maken, minister of state for home.

Maken said that the state government sanctioned an ex-gratia relief of Rs.5 lakh to the next-of-kin of 102 people killed in the violence.

During this period, 832 civilians and 2,938 Jammu and Kashmir policemen were injured.

http://sify.com/news/101-civilians-killed-in-kashmir-since-june-news-national-kljuE0bfcie.html

[mosfeld]

Khamenei urges Islamic world to "sympathise, provide assistance" to Kashmir


Tehran, Nov 16 (ANI): The Supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has urged the Islamic Ummah to sympathise and provide assistance to Kashmir, and called the United States an arrogant, "self-styled commandant of the Islamic region and the real sponsor of the Zionist regime".


Buzz up!
"Today the major duties of the elite of the Islamic Ummah is to provide help to the Palestinian nation and the besieged people of Gaza, to sympathise and provide assistance to the nations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Kashmir, to engage in struggle and resistance against the aggressions of the United States and the Zionist regime, to safeguard the solidarity of Muslims and stop tainted hands and mercenary voices that try to damage this unity, to spread awakening and the sense of responsibility and commitment among Muslim youth throughout Islamic communities," Khamenei's office quoted him, as saying, in his message to the Hajj pilgrims.


"The extensive propaganda of the enemy to spread Islamophobia, its offhand efforts to create discord among Muslim sects, to incite sectarian prejudices, to bring about pseudo-confrontations between the Sunnis and the Shi'ah, to create disunity between Islamic states and to aggravate their differences, to change them into hostility and unsolvable conflicts, its employment of intelligence and espionage outfits to propagate corruption and immorality amongst the youth-all these are nervous and bewildered responses to the steady and firm advances of the Islamic Ummah towards awakening, honour and freedom," he added.

Khamenei noted that in today's world, the "Zionist regime is no more the undefeatable monster of 30 years ago. The United States and the West are also no more the unquestionable decision-makers of the Middle East that they were two decades ago."

"Contrary to the situation that existed ten years ago, the nuclear know-how and other complex technologies are no longer considered inaccessible daydreams for Muslim nations of the region," he added.

In his message, Khamenei went on to say, "Today the arrogant United States, the self-styled commandant of the Islamic region and the real sponsor of the Zionist regime, is bogged down in the quagmire of its own making in Afghanistan. As a result of all its crimes against the people of Iraq, it is in the course of becoming isolated in that country. It is hated more than ever before in disaster-stricken Pakistan."

He said that the influence of the anti-Islamic front was receding while the wave of Islamic awakening was "steadily advancing and growing in depth day by day."

"On the one hand, this hopeful and promising situation should inspire us, the Muslim nations, to keep marching ahead towards the desirable future with ever greater confidence. On the other hand, the past lessons and experience should make us more vigilant than ever before," said the spiritual leader, adding, "This general imperative undoubtedly calls for greater commitment from religious scholars, political leaders, intellectuals and youth than the others and requires them to be at the vanguard of the struggle." (ANI)

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/11/16/khameneiurges-islamic-world-to-sympathise-provideassista.html

[mosfeld]

Indian authorities must release 14-year-old held in Kashmir without charge


Amnesty International has urged authorities in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to release a 14-year-old child who has been detained without charge or trial for seven months, for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests.

The authorities claim that Mushtag Ahmad Sheikh was part of a large crowd which threw stones at police and security forces in the state capital Srinagar in April, as part of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir.

Police say that Mushtag Ahmad Sheikh is 19-years-old but his family claim that he was born in 1996 and is 14-years-old. Prison records reportedly confirm that he is a child.

"Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh must either be charged with a recognizable criminal offence or released immediately," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director.

"If he is charged, he should be treated in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, held and tried in special facilities for children."

Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh was first arrested in Srinagar on 9 April. He was released on bail after eight days in custody and rearrested on 21 April.

His family was not officially told that he had been detained but found out about it through a local resident.

Initially held at Udhampur Jail, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh is now held at Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu.

Both prisons do not have special facilities for detaining children. Prison Conditions in Jammu are harsh with limited health care.

In May, Amnesty International raised Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh's detention at a meeting with the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the State Human Rights Commission. To date, despite their assurances, nothing appears to have been done.

Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh is detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act - a law that allows the authorities to hold people for up to two years without any judicial review.

This year, at least 322 people are reported to have been detained without trial under the act. A number of them, including children, have been detained on similar grounds of stone throwing and rioting during protests against the Indian government.

Over the summer demonstrators in Jammu and Kashmir voiced their concerns about the lack of accountability of the security forces; the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and the removal of Army camps - along with the underlying demand of independence for Kashmir.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2010111819591&lang=e

[mosfeld]

JK: Protest, pro-independence slogan echoed on Eid

Srinagar, Nov 18: Despite all efforts by Jammu Kashmir police to mar any protest in the state during Bakri-Eid on Wednesday, Nov 17, agitation irrupted in the state as soon as the Eid-prayer was finished.

Government officials stated that hundred of youths raised pro-independence slogans, pelted stones at security forces and torched a police vehicle in the valley in the morning of Eid.

To avoid Sep 2010 like protest in which a procession led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq turned violent after Eid prayers, most of the separatists leaders were put under house arrest on Nov 17.

Besides separatists leaders like Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Shahid-ul-Islam, Hurriyat factions' chairmen Miwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah were also not allowed to lead any prayers.

Other separatists bodies condemned the move taken by the state government as they stated, "Stopping the Mirwaiz from offering Eid prayers is a deplorable act. We condemn it in one voice."

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/11/18/jk-protest-pro-independence-slogan-echoed-on-eid.html

[mosfeld]

UNSC hasn't discussed Kashmir in 45 yrs

NEW DELHI: The "India-Pakistan question", which is a euphemism for the Kashmir question, was last discussed in the UN Security Council in 1965 having been first raised in 1948. Since then the Security Council has not discussed the issue.

Earlier this week, the Pakistan envoy to the UN, Amjad Sial, opened the lid on what is probably the worst kept secret in the UNSC -- that Kashmir as an issue has not been raised in the Council for almost half a century, even during the worst of India-Pakistan relations.

The Pakistan envoy protested in the General Assembly earlier this week that the Kashmir issue was "missing" from the UNSC annual list, describing it as an "inadvertent error." Indian diplomats maintained that it was not inadvertent at all, but that the Kashmir issue was a "dead letter".

Later, UNSC spokesperson Farhan Haq clarified that the annual list submitted to the General Assembly only published issues discussed in the Council from January 1, 2007, and that the full list of issues that had ever been discussed by the Council was in an addendum published in March 2010. That list, Haq said, includes Kashmir, which means Kashmir remains a "live" issue in the UNSC, unlike the Indian interpretation that it was a "dead letter".

However, the addendum in question, posted on March 8, 2010, lists "items which were identified in document S/2010/10 as subject to deletion in 2010 because they had not been considered by the Council at a formal meeting during the three-year period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009". According to UNSC's own rules, these items would be removed from the list in 2010. Which, say, Indian officials, is what was done.

In 2005, the then UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared that the "plebiscite" issue could not be enforced or self-implemented. But it was after Annan's remarks, made in the context of the resumption of the India-Pakistan dialogue in 2005, that the UNSC dropped the reference to the dispute. In the past five years there has been no such mention.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UNSC-hasnt-discussed-Kashmir-in-45-yrs/articleshow/6949389.cms#ixzz15jKg7MiH

[t.shonku]

Mirwaiz attacked by VHP hooligans (http://muxlim.com/blogs/Challenger/mirwaiz-attacked-by-vhp-hooligans/)




Gilani calls for Eidgah march tomorrow


Chandigarh, November 25 (KMS): The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was attacked and heckled by hooligans associated with an extremist Hindu communal organisation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, in Chandigarh, today.


The APHC Chairman was addressing a seminar organized by the International Democratic Party when the hooligans hurling abusive and humiliating words rushed to the stage and physically assaulted the Mirwaiz. The organisers encircled the APHC Chairman and saved him from physical damage.


Addressing the seminar and latter a press conference, the APHC Chairman emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir was a disputed territory and the dispute needed to be resolved through negotiations. He said that Kashmiris’ struggle could not be suppressed by brute force and violence.


The Hindu fanatics have made similar attacks on other Hurriyet leaders including Syed Ali Gilani and Shabbir Ahmad Shah in the past, as well.


Meanwhile, Hurriyet leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Mehmood Ahmad Saghar and others denounced the attack on the APHC Chairman.


The news of attack on Mirwaiz Umar Farooq triggered forceful protests marked by complete strike in many localities of Srinagar while the traffic went off the roads. The enraged people raised slogans against Hindu extremists and the illegal occupation of India over Kashmir. On the other hand, veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, has appealed to the people in occupied Kashmir to march towards Eidgah in Srinagar, tomorrow, urging everyone to carry one brick for constructing a memorial of Kashmiri martyrs.


According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, over 2,288 women were among 93,515 civilians martyred by Indian troops and police during the last 21 years. The state terrorism has rendered 22,744 women widowed whereas the troopers have molested 9,984 Kashmiri women during the period.



VHP is a facist goon organization,they are like India's equivalent of SS or KKK.