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Kashmiris protest human rights abuses

11 December 2011 01:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Scores of people have staged rallies in Indian-administered Kashmir to protest against what they described violations of human rights committed by the security forces in the territory, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The protesters took to the streets in Kashmir’s summer capital of Srinagar as well as several other major cities on Saturday. They condemned thousands of instances of human rights abuses that security forces had committed.

The demonstrators also lit candles in a vigil to mark World Human Rights Day, AFP reported.

Kashmir has been the scene of violent clashes in recent years.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in the full and have fought two wars over the region since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.

The people of Kashmir say only a referendum can help resolve the dispute.

New Delhi has been repeatedly criticized for resorting to force rather than finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

In 2010, the Kashmir Valley was rocked by a series of protests in which at least 110 people were killed. The protests erupted after Indian forces shot a student dead.

One of the Saturday protests was led by independent lawmaker Sheikh Abdul Rashid outside a small UN office in Srinagar. Rashid and his followers, likewise, lit candles and torches during the demonstration.

"We demand an end to human rights violations in Kashmir and repeal of tough security laws," he said in his address to the followers.

Police later detained Rashid and some of his supporters and took them into custody.

India and Pakistan have failed to resolve the Kashmir issue, despite a series of meetings between the foreign ministers of the two countries last month.