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| India-Pakistan |
| Kashmir shuts down in protest as Indian PM visits |
| 2008-10-12 |
| SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Shops, businesses and schools were shut in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Saturday to protest a visit by the Indian prime minister who inaugurated the first train line in the disputed Himalayan region. The visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet with pro-Indian political parties comes amid a wave of unrest that has included some of the largest protests against Indian rule in two decades. The Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, a coalition of Muslim separatists and local business leaders, called for a strike Saturday in the region's main city, Srinagar, to protest Singh's visit. The new train line is aimed at helping to forge stronger ties between the Kashmir region and the rest of India. The line links the northern town of Rajwansher to Anantnag, 40 miles to the south. It is expected to be extended next year, officials said. The city's streets were deserted and government forces erected steel barricades and laid razor wire on the streets in anticipation of protests. Thousands of additional soldiers in riot gear patrolled the city. "We're taking no chance and are strictly enforcing restrictions to maintain law and order," senior police official B. Srinivas said. Speaking to reporters late Friday, Singh expressed sadness over the deaths and reiterated India's commitment to peacefully solving the Kashmir crisis. "It has always been our belief that even the most difficult issues can be resolved through dialogue," Singh said. A key separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, rejected Singh's call for talks. "Economic packages or railway lines cannot be alternates to the right of self-determination," he said Friday. "We believe a dialogue process is futile unless it is for discussing this fundamental right." |
| Posted by:Steve White |