Indian Prime Minister Appeals for Calm in Kashmir

[ChromeFoundry]

Source: VOANews.com

15 August 2010

India's leader has used part of his Independence Day address to call for an end to violence in Kashmir.

The appeal for an end to the ongoing street protests in Kashmir by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came one day after two more protestors were killed in clashes with security forces in Indian controlled Kashmir. The protests have lead to 57 deaths over the past two months.

The protestors have set official buildings and vehicles on fire during the almost daily protests. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both countries. However, anti-India sentiment runs deep in the Indian controlled portion, with most reportedly favoring either independence from India or a merger with Pakistan.

In his 30 minute speech, the Prime Minister said his government is ready to hold talks, saying "the years of violence should now end and that such violence will not benefit anyone." The speech was delivered in New Delhi marking India's Independence Day which was the end of British colonial rule in 1947 and the partitioning of the territory into India and Pakistan. That split has lead to tensions between the two nations and triggered three wars, two of them over Kashmir.



Read more: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Indian-Prime-Minister-Appeals-for-Calm-in-Kashmir-100732584.html

[OhioChick]

1. "favoring either independence from India or a merger with Pakistan"

Interesting.

[Turborama]

2. Here's a map of the territory involved, a video report & The NYT and The Guardian's Kashmir sections

For anyone who wants to catch up with what's been going on there...


(Source of the larger one: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/kashmir/front.html )

Crises dampen India independence
It has been 63 years since India gained independence from Britain, but annual celebrations have been overshadowed by a series of crises the government has been grappling with.

Indian administered Kashmir remains under curfew after fresh clashes between security forces and protesters left six dead in the last two days.

Violent protests in this region have killed at least 57 people in the latest phase of protests since June.

Another major concern in India has been the widening gap between the rich and poor and the government's policies to bridge the differences remain questionable.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWP7KpDRDGA

The Guardian's Kashmir Homepage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/kashmir

The NYT's Kashmir Homepage: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/kashmir/index.html

Recent articles on the crisis in Kashmir: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4502117


K&R

[Turborama]

3. Kashmiri protester throws shoe at top Indian official

The Independent

By Leo Horner
Monday, August 16 2010


A policeman hurled a shoe at a senior Indian politician as a protest against government policy in his region.

The shoe was thrown during a parade to mark Indian Independence Day in Srinagar, and narrowly missed Omar Abdullah, Indian-administered Kashmir's chief minister. Abdul Ahad Jan, who threw the shoe, also waved a black flag – a symbol of the Kashmiri separatist movement – as he was arrested and led away.

=snip=

The last two months have seen an upsurge in violence in Kashmir, the worst in the region in more than two years. Since early June, 57 people have been killed in clashes between demonstrators and police. Although the independence day parade itself was relatively peaceful, four people were killed when the authorities broke up anti-government protests on Friday and Saturday. Mr Abdullah used the day to express regret at the violence, saying that he felt "gloom and bereavement" over the killings.

Mr Abdullah is not the first Indian politician to be the target of footwear. Since George Bush dodged a pair of Iraqi shoes in 2008, shoe-throwing has become an established means of protest in Indian politics. Last year, a shoe thrown by an engineering student narrowly missed the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, during an election rally in Ahmedabad. Two weeks earlier, India's Home Minister also had a "size eight Reebok" thrown at him by a journalist.


Full article: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/kashmiri-protester-throws-shoe-at-top-indian-official-2053578.html

[OhioChick]

4. Wow....I wasn't aware that all of this was going on there....

Thanks for posting.