No Ramazan Respite as Unrest Plagues Kashmir

Kashmiri women shout slogans during the funeral procession of 19-year-old Syed Farrukh Bukhari in Kreeri, north of Srinagar, on August 11, 2010. — Photo by AFP

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SRINAGAR: The fasting month of Ramazan looks set to be one of curfews, protests and hardship for Muslims in Indian-administered Kashmir, which is experiencing a wave of popular unrest directed against Indian rule.

For two months, violent demonstrations have rocked the troubled Himalayan region. Around 50 protesters and onlookers have been killed.

Each fatality has fuelled fresh anger, in what Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has acknowledged is a “cycle of violence”.

The constant round of protests, strikes and curfews has all but shut down daily commerce in the mainly Muslim Kashmir Valley, hurting small traders and making shopping for basic provisions a major challenge.

With Ramazan starting Thursday, residents have been advised to stockpile essentials in preparation for a difficult month.

Muslim clerics in Kashmir have in the past used the Ramazan period to preach peace and reconciliation, but with emotions running high over the dozens of deaths of protesters, that message is likely to be muted.

“We have planned protests during Ramazan against Indian rule and the innocent killings,” said Syed Ali Geelani, who heads a hardline faction of the region's main separatist alliance.

Geelani, who would like Indian-administered Kashmir to accede to Pakistan, has also urged all Kashmiris to celebrate Pakistan’s independence day on August 14 and mark India's independence celebrations a day later as a “black day”.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full and have fought two wars over their territorial dispute.

The last time large-scale, anti-India protests hit the region, in 2008, Geelani suspended protests ahead of Ramazan and was blamed by many activists for breaking the movement's momentum.

“The separatists have done the right thing by calling for protests during Ramazan,” says Asif Ahmed, a shopkeeper. “This tempo should continue. We should not run out of steam this time.”

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to calm tensions by urging Kashmiris “to give peace a chance”. He held out the possibility of greater autonomy and vowed to address rampant unemployment.

But his overtures were rejected by both hardline and moderate separatist groups, who want New Delhi to repeal tough emergency laws, pull troops out of civilian areas and release political prisoners.

“This is the month of peace, but here I think we will be spending it under the shadow of curfews and strikes,” said Nabla Hafiz, a housewife. “Everyone is angry at the killings and the call for more protests will be heeded.”

“We can't forget the killings. If we stop protesting, that will amount to forgiving Indians,” said her husband, Hafizullah Bhat.

The impasse has made daily life extremely difficult for many Kashmiris, some of whom blame both sides.

“It is going to be a gloomy Ramazan. I have no money left,” said Srinagar roadside vendor Mohammed Yusuf, who has been forced to borrow money to make ends meet.

“The shutdown calls only affect the poor like me,” Yusuf said, urging separatists leaders to “rethink their strategy”.

Moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also chief cleric at Srinagar's main mosque, the Jamia Masjid, said Kashmiris would have to pull together.

“We must help each other. The rich should help the poor during Ramazan and those whose businesses have suffered,” Mirwaiz told AFP. “I also appeal to Islamic countries to send aid to Kashmiris.”

The authorities have closed the Jamia Masjid on six consecutive Fridays, and Farooq — who has been under house arrest for much of the past two months — said he would defy restrictions to deliver a Ramazan sermon at the mosque this Friday.

“The closing of the Jamia Masjid is an infringement of the Kashmiri peoples' basic right to religious practice,” he said. “During the month of Ramazan, I will pray for an end to Indian repression and occupation.”

According to the state finance ministry, curfews and shutdowns this year have resulted in economic losses amounting to 400 million dollars.

DAWN: Thursday, 12 Aug, 2010