India lifts curfew in violence-hit Kashmir
07/10/2008 14:14 NEW DELHI, October 7 (RIA Novosti) - Indian authorities have lifted a curfew that was imposed on Sunday in the troubled Himalayan region to prevent a pro-independence rally, the Indo-Asian News Service said on Tuesday.
The Indian-controlled part of Kashmir has recently seen increased protests against Indian rule as the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley seeks independence from mainly Hindu India or a merger with Pakistan.
Muslim separatists in Kashmir earlier planned to hold a huge rally on Monday. The protest was foiled as large numbers of security forces were deployed and the center of Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, was sealed off.
"The situation remained peaceful throughout the valley on Monday and no incidences of violence were reported. Therefore the authorities decided to lift the curfew," a police officer told the news agency.
The last time a curfew was announced in Kashmir to prevent the separatists from holding a rally was on August 24.
Recent unrest in Kashmir was sparked by a plan by authorities to allot forest land to Hindu pilgrims. When the plan was later annulled, Hindus in the Jammu region later launched rallies, blocking the movement of goods to the valley for some days.
India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the mountainous Himalayan region since partition by the British in 1947. Both sides control part of the territory, which has two capitals and hundreds of thousands of troops stationed on either side of the tense border.
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