New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) Islam's holy month of Ramadan might be over, but the violence that for years has marred life in disputed Kashmir has not. Last Sunday was Eid ul-Fitar, the last day of fasting. For one day at least, local residents could try to ignore their woes as they prayed and celebrated.
However, a 22-year-old man from Pattan village, 30 km west of Srinagar, said coming from mosque prayers that "no one in the village was happy". The reason was that last week a youth was shot dead near Pattan by troops who claimed he was a separatist.
Locals were adamant that the young man was unarmed and had been shot in cold blood. "Even if he was [. . .] a rebel," another resident said, "he would have been arrested, tortured and then killed." "That's the way it's been for years," said Basharat Hussain Najar, who holds a doctorate in political science, "no one trusts the troops or the police".
During the 2001 Eid ul-Fitr celebration, soldiers opened fire randomly shooting into a crowd, killing two villagers. They were seeking revenge after rebels killed two of their fellow soldiers.
Relations between the Indian army and residents in many Kashmir villages have deteriorated since 1989 when Kashmir separatist demands turned violent and a full-fledged independence movement appeared. Since then India began deploying its security forces in larger numbers in its only Muslim-majority state. They now stand at around 1.5 million.
Kashmir has been a bloody bone of contention between India and Pakistan for the past half a century. It has been the cause of two wars (in 1948 and 1965) and 65,000 dead.
In the last few months, both countries have shown signs that they are ready to settle the issue peacefully. India yesterday announced that it was going to withdraw 40,000 soldiers to encourage negotiations with Pakistan.
The action appears to be a positive response to moves taken by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf who last month called for the demilitarisation of the territory and the use of diplomatic channels to solve the India-Pakistan border question.
"I firmly believe," President Musharraf said, "that a solution to the problem is possible. For the first time, I see light at the end of the tunnel." (MA)