SRINAGAR: After weeks of unrest in Indian held-Kashmir, authorities on Monday lifted a curfew imposed across the restive region for 51 days.
A total of 71 people — 68 civilians and three policemen have been killed in the current bout of violence that started on July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with Indian security forces. “Curfew has been lifted from the entire Valley. But, it will remain in force in Pulwama town and in areas under the jurisdiction of Nowhatta and MR Gunj police stations in Srinagar,” The Times of India quoted a senior police official as saying.
The development comes just days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decided to send 22 parliamentarians as his special emissaries to different world capitals in a diplomatic push to shed light on unabated rights violations in the disputed state by India. The prime minister’s move elicited a scathing reaction from the Indian media, which called it “provocation, needling and meddling” in the country’s affairs.
India had last week announced to introduce a new weapon to battle separatism in the disputed Himalayan region in place of controversial pellet guns which compromised the eyesight of over 100 young Kashmiris and caused an international uproar. Kashmir has been divided between Pakistan and India since the end of British paramountcy in August, 1947 but both claim the territory in full. It is the epicentre of a separatist insurgency, with several rebel groups fighting Indian troops and police as they seek either independence or merger with Pakistan.
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