India

Hundreds of thousands demand freedom for Kashmir

Article published on the 2008-08-22 Latest update 2008-08-22 16:28 TU

Protesters in Srinagar.
(Photo: REUTERS/Danish Ismail (INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR)

Hundred of thousands of protestors were in the streets in Indian-controlled Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar on Friday, calling for independence. It's the second such demonstration this week. Police say two hundred thousand turned out. The organisers say the crowd was twice that size.

Protesters have called for a complete shutdown of shops, schools and businesses for three more days starting Saturday.

Protesters began marching from early morning, carrying black and green flags symbolising Islam and mourning, shouted "azadi" meaning "freedom" in Urdu. 

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the moderate separatist leader of the All Hurriyat Conference - an umbrella group for moderates - speaking in front of the huge crowd, called on New Delhi to free all political detainees and repeal laws that give sweeping powers to Indian  troops fighting the Muslim separatists in Kashmir. He also said the huge number of demonstrators showed that Kashmiris were demanding to claim their right to self-determination.

India has often rejected this call saying the decades-old United Nations resolutions calling for such a vote are "obsolete." Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed for calm.  On Wednesday he sent the national security advisor, M. K. Narayanan to assess the situation after weeks of violent protests in Kashmir, sparked by communal, Hindu-Muslim, issues.

Since the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947, Kashmir has been claimed by India and Pakistan.

Five days ago, hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Muslims took part in a similar demonstration in Srinagar to demand that the United Nations recognise the Himalayan region's right to self-determination.

Since June, at least 31 Muslims and three Hindus have died in police firing on protesters in the Kashmir valley and Jammu area.