What is happening with Kashmir?
A short review of the Kashmir issue and a look at the steps being taken to resolve the problem.
SRINAGAR:
India extended a curfew on Monday in much of Kashmir, deploying thousands of troops to quell anti-India demonstrations and prevent a planned march by separatists to a UN office in the region's biggest city.
The three-month-old protests, the biggest since a separatist revolt against New Delhi broke out in Kashmir in 1989, have killed 70 people so far, mostly stone-throwing protesters shot by police.
Here are some questions and answers on the crisis in one of the world's most militarised regions:
Why the fresh upsurge?
The protests come after a period of relative calm in the strife-torn region. They started on June 11 when a 17-year-old student died after being hit by a teargas shell fired by police during a protest in Srinagar.
Since then, 69 other people have been killed by government forces during protests, fuelling anger in Kashmir where sentiment against New Delhi's rule runs deep.
Rights groups say the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives security forces powers to shoot, arrest and search in battling a separatist insurgency, has alienated Kashmiris.
What do Kashmiris think about the crisis?
In the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley between 75 per cent and 95 per cent support independence from both India and Pakistan, according to a poll this year by the think-tank Chatham House.
After several failed rounds of peace talks between moderate separatists and New Delhi, and a rise in killings blamed on security forces, locals say the protests are mostly spontaneous.
Most of those killed in the protests are teenagers and many protesters are young. They organise protests with Facebook, YouTube and via messages from mosques.
What is the Indian government's view?
The Indian government says protests are sparked by Pakistan-inspired, stone-throwing trouble-makers and it has so far avoided making any concessions to separatists.
Earlier New Delhi directly blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group accused of carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks, for stoking the latest protests.
The government points to the fact that Kashmiris elected a pro-India coalition to power in 2008 state elections as evidence that this year's protests have been hijacked by extremists.
Omar Abdullah, Kashmir's pro-India chief minister, says talks with separatists are needed to solve the Kashmir problem.
What are the separatists demanding?
Separatists want Kashmir's freedom from India while New Delhi sees the mountainous region as an integral part of the country.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, an 80-year-old separatist leader and long seen as a marginalised hardliner but now touted as a hero to many Kashmiris for his refusal to negotiate with New Delhi, is seen as the leader of the protests.
Geelani has laid down five conditions to enter into dialogue with New Delhi. The conditions include India accepting Kashmir as an international dispute, revoking laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and demilitarising the region.
Moderate separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who has previously held peace talks with India, is more open to negotiations.
Where are the protests headed?
The violence has raised fears that anger at New Delhi could spin out of control. If the government fails to check the protests, deaths and rights violations, the region could slide into a renewed phase of armed uprising, as happened in 1989.
Peace in Kashmir is seen as crucial for improving relations between India and Pakistan. If New Delhi links the Kashmir protests to Islamabad, it may hit the neighbours' attempts to repair relations hurt by the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
What is the Indian government doing to bring peace?
So far the Indian government has appeared little interested in appeasing protesters. Analysts say New Delhi would like to win by effectively tiring out the protesters, as in 2008 when similar large demonstrations eventually petered out.
India's Congress party-led government is considering a partial relaxation of the armed forces act in Kashmir as part of a peace initiative expected in the next few days. But there appear to be divisions within the government over this policy.
India extended a curfew on Monday in much of Kashmir, deploying thousands of troops to quell anti-India demonstrations and prevent a planned march by separatists to a UN office in the region's biggest city.
The three-month-old protests, the biggest since a separatist revolt against New Delhi broke out in Kashmir in 1989, have killed 70 people so far, mostly stone-throwing protesters shot by police.
Here are some questions and answers on the crisis in one of the world's most militarised regions:
Why the fresh upsurge?
The protests come after a period of relative calm in the strife-torn region. They started on June 11 when a 17-year-old student died after being hit by a teargas shell fired by police during a protest in Srinagar.
Since then, 69 other people have been killed by government forces during protests, fuelling anger in Kashmir where sentiment against New Delhi's rule runs deep.
Rights groups say the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives security forces powers to shoot, arrest and search in battling a separatist insurgency, has alienated Kashmiris.
What do Kashmiris think about the crisis?
In the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley between 75 per cent and 95 per cent support independence from both India and Pakistan, according to a poll this year by the think-tank Chatham House.
After several failed rounds of peace talks between moderate separatists and New Delhi, and a rise in killings blamed on security forces, locals say the protests are mostly spontaneous.
Most of those killed in the protests are teenagers and many protesters are young. They organise protests with Facebook, YouTube and via messages from mosques.
What is the Indian government's view?
The Indian government says protests are sparked by Pakistan-inspired, stone-throwing trouble-makers and it has so far avoided making any concessions to separatists.
Earlier New Delhi directly blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group accused of carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks, for stoking the latest protests.
The government points to the fact that Kashmiris elected a pro-India coalition to power in 2008 state elections as evidence that this year's protests have been hijacked by extremists.
Omar Abdullah, Kashmir's pro-India chief minister, says talks with separatists are needed to solve the Kashmir problem.
What are the separatists demanding?
Separatists want Kashmir's freedom from India while New Delhi sees the mountainous region as an integral part of the country.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, an 80-year-old separatist leader and long seen as a marginalised hardliner but now touted as a hero to many Kashmiris for his refusal to negotiate with New Delhi, is seen as the leader of the protests.
Geelani has laid down five conditions to enter into dialogue with New Delhi. The conditions include India accepting Kashmir as an international dispute, revoking laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and demilitarising the region.
Moderate separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who has previously held peace talks with India, is more open to negotiations.
Where are the protests headed?
The violence has raised fears that anger at New Delhi could spin out of control. If the government fails to check the protests, deaths and rights violations, the region could slide into a renewed phase of armed uprising, as happened in 1989.
Peace in Kashmir is seen as crucial for improving relations between India and Pakistan. If New Delhi links the Kashmir protests to Islamabad, it may hit the neighbours' attempts to repair relations hurt by the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
What is the Indian government doing to bring peace?
So far the Indian government has appeared little interested in appeasing protesters. Analysts say New Delhi would like to win by effectively tiring out the protesters, as in 2008 when similar large demonstrations eventually petered out.
India's Congress party-led government is considering a partial relaxation of the armed forces act in Kashmir as part of a peace initiative expected in the next few days. But there appear to be divisions within the government over this policy.