INDIA:MUSLIM-MAJORITY areas of Indian Kashmir were put under an indefinite curfew yesterday - in the lead-up to a rally and protest outside government buildings planned by separatist leaders protesting against Indian rule.
The state's summer capital Srinagar was closed down yesterday by a general strike, the latest in two weeks of demonstrations which have seen almost three dozen people die - the bloodiest violence for a decade.
Soldiers and heavily armed police units took to the streets of Srinagar before dawn, warning people to stay indoors and it was reported that a number of journalists were picked up for questioning. Local mosques have been blaring chants of "we want freedom" from their loudspeaker systems.
The curfew does not apply to areas outside the Kashmir valley, which have large Hindu populations and have been largely peaceful over the last two days. No official reason has been given for the latest curfew in Kashmir but a major rally has been planned for tomorrow.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is chief priest at the region's main mosque, said the demonstrations were "part of continuing protests against India's rule in Kashmir; (it was time to) demand our right to self-determination through a referendum".
India says decades-old UN resolutions calling for a referendum on Kashmir's future are "obsolete". There has, however, been a growing sense of frustration in Delhi over the question of Kashmir, the scene of a simmering revolt against Indian rule since 1989.
On Friday, hundreds of thousands of people massed in Srinagar to demand "azadi" or freedom and to protest against Indian "occupation". Prominent intellectuals, including Booker-prize winner Arundhati Roy and former editor of the Hindustan Times Vir Sanghvi, have said it is time to "think the unthinkable" over the Himalayan region and consider "freedom from India".
There has been a surge in skirmishes between Islamic militants and Indian soldiers along the border in the past few months - with violence increasing with the ebbing power of Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistan president who had staked much on a peace process with India.
On Saturday, the Indian army claimed 15 people had been killed in clashes. New Delhi has begun once again to point the finger at Pakistan - accusing its neighbour of arming and sending militants into Kashmir to fight India's rule in the region. - (Guardian service)