14 dead in Kashmir
Posted on 13. Sep, 2010 by Leon Kennedy in World
On Monday, clashes in Kashmir Valley, a Muslim-majority area in India, between Kashmir youths and the Indian Military left 14 people dead and as many as 60 injured (I wonder which side took the most damage: the armed and trained military men or the rock-throwing children?).
After several months of such clashes between youths and the military, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh is not talking about cracking down, but rather about trying to appeal to Kashmir’s youths. “The youth of Kashmir are our citizens and their grievances have to be addressed,” Singh said to the commanders of India’s military on Monday. The prime minister also said that he invited talks with Kashmir’s political elements on the condition that they renounce violence.
One of the sore spots between Kashmir and the Indian government and military is a draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which essentially gives Indian soldiers the right to do whatever they want in Kashmir without being held accountable for it; at present, the act has been in place for almost two decades.
While Kashmir’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, has urged the Indian government to drop the Act as a step towards easing tensions; however, military officials believe that dropping the Act could compromise Indian soldiers in Kashmir as well as give separatists more room to breathe.
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