Kashmiris go on strike over detentions

Tue Sep 6, 2011

The people of Indian-administered Kashmir have gone on strike to demand the release of Kashmiri political prisoners in the disputed Himalayan region, Press TV reports.

The two-day strike, which began in the main city Srinagar and other towns on Tuesday, paralyzed much of the region as most shops, businesses, schools and offices were closed across the disputed valley.

The protest strike was called by pro-independence groups opposed to New Delhi's rule over the pre-dominantly Muslim majority region, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Top pro-independence leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said nearly 250 people have been arrested for allegedly throwing stones at government forces during anti-India protests.

Geelani called on the Indian government to release the political detainees and to accept Kashmir's independence.

Meanwhile, Kashmir's Pro-India Chief Minister Omar Abdullah warned about the improper education of people of Kashmir due to constant shutdowns of schools.

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

Kashmir is one of the world's most militarized areas and roughly, half-a-million Indian forces are stationed across the valley.

The Kashmir valley has either been under curfew or shut down over the past few months. Residents have been complaining about the shortage of food, medicine and other supplies across the valley.

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

Pakistan and India both claim Kashmir as part of their territory and they have fought two wars over the region since 1947.

Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir over the past 20 years.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/197717.html.