Search This Blog

Thursday 1 September 2011

Indian police attack Kashmiri protesters

Police have attacked independence-seeking protesters during Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of Muslim fasting month of Ramadan across Indian-administered Kashmir


Indian security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters chanting slogans against New Delhi in Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar and several other major cities.

They criticized the Indian government for its failure to bring to justice those responsible for rights violations in the Muslim-majority region.

Protesters also demanded that the Indian government launch a full-scale investigation to identify thousands of corpses discovered from unmarked graves over the past years.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full and have fought two wars over the region since they gained independence from Britain in 1947.

New Delhi has been repeatedly criticized for resorting to force rather than finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

Kashmir has been the scene of violent clashes in recent years.

In 2010, the Kashmir Valley was rocked by a series of protests in which at least 110 people were killed. The protests were sparked when Indian forces shot a student dead in June 2010.

India and Pakistan have failed to resolve the Kashmir issue despite a series of meetings between the foreign ministers of the two countries last month.

The people of Kashmir say only a referendum can help resolve the dispute.

No comments:

Post a Comment