Kashmir has seen an average of nearly 20 protests per day against Indian rule over the last six weeks despite a security lockdown to quell unrest, a senior government source said.
Protests in Indian Kashmir's main city of Srinagar turned violent, Friday, August 30, with demonstrators clashing with security personnel as tensions escalated in the Himalayan region, which was stripped of its autonomy earlier this month. (Reuters) https://t.co/wHgc24mPa7 pic.twitter.com/EtEmRWzfUh
— Voice of America (@VOANews) August 30, 2019
Tensions remain high in the disputed Himalayan region after New Delhi’s controversial decision last month to revoke the territory’s decades-old semi-autonomous status.
India deployed extra troops ahead of the August 5 decision to reinforce some 500,000 soldiers already stationed in the region, one of the most militarised places on the planet.
Despite a curfew, movement restrictions and the severe curtailment of internet and mobile phone services, public demonstrations against India — mostly in the largest city Srinagar — have been constant, the source told agencies late Saturday.
Altogether there have been 722 protests since August 5, with Baramulla district in the northwest and Pulwama in the south the biggest hotspots after Srinagar, the source said.
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Since that date, nearly 200 civilians and 415 security force members have been hurt, according to the source. Ninety-five of the civilians were injured in the last two weeks, the official said.
So far more than 4,100 people — including 170 local political leaders — have been detained across the valley, with 3,000 released in the past two weeks, the official said.
Tensions remain high in the disputed Himalayan region after New Delhi’s controversial decision last month to revoke the territory’s decades-old semi-autonomous status.
It was unclear whether any politicians were among those released. Indian authorities have so far insisted that outbreaks of violence have been minimal, and that only five civilians have died since the clampdown started. The relatives of four of those killed said they believed the security forces were responsible for their deaths.
The latest updates came as police said Thursday that three men suspected of belonging to a Pakistan-based militant organisation were arrested while transporting weapons and ammunition towards Indian Kashmir.
Read more: Death toll hits a new peak in Indian Kashmir
Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir, which was split between the two countries in 1947. India deployed extra troops ahead of the August 5 decision to reinforce some 500,000 soldiers already stationed in the region, one of the most militarized places on the planet.
First, let me go to UN and the world leaders and advocate the case of Kashmir. Let me tell them that if this issue is not resolved then the world will bear the impact of this.
PM @ImranKhanPTI #KashmirSolidarityJalsa
— PTI (@PTIofficial) September 13, 2019
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday promised to raise the decision to strip Indian Kashmir of its autonomy at the upcoming UN General Assembly session.
AFP with additional input by GVS News Desk.