AP, Srinagar :Authorities in India-held Kashmir (IHK) have extended a rigid curfew to most parts of the disputed Himalayan region in an attempt to prevent anti-India protests in the region’s main city.The has been under a rolling curfew and strikes for nearly a month after the killing of popular militant commander Burhan Wani sparked massive anti-India demonstrations.Separatists have called on Kashmiris to march to prominent Hazratbal shrine in the city of Srinagar and stage protests after Friday prayers there.Police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled deserted streets and laid razor wire and steel barricades to cut off neighbourhoods in the city.Shops, businesses and schools remained closed for the 28th consecutive day.The mostly Muslim region, where resistance to rule by predominantly Hindu India is strong, has been under a rolling curfew and strikes for nearly a month after the killing of a popular rebel commander sparked massive anti-India demonstrations. At least 52 civilians and a policeman have been killed and thousands injured.Separatists have called Kashmiris to march to prominent Hazratbal shrine in the city of Srinagar and stage protests after Friday prayers there.Police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled deserted streets and laid razor wire and steel barricades to cut off neighborhoods in the city. Shops, businesses and schools remained closed for the 28th consecutive day.Separatist politicians, demanding an end to Indian rule, have extended protest strikes until Aug. 12.The troubled region is experiencing some of the largest protests against Indian rule in recent years since troops killed the rebel commander on July 8.Tens of thousands of people have defied the curfew and participated in street protests, often leading to clashes between rock-throwing residents and government forces firing live ammunition, shotgun pellets and tear gas.Kashmir is divided between archrivals India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars over control of the region since British colonialists left the subcontinent in 1947.India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Kashmiri rebels who have been fighting for independence or merger with Pakistan since 1989. Pakistan denies the charge, saying it only provides moral and political support to Kashmiris.Most people in the Indian-controlled part resent the presence of hundreds of thousands of Indian troops and support the rebel cause.More than 68,000 people have been killed in the armed uprising against Indian rule and the subsequent Indian military crackdown.
