Kashmir land protests scare away tourists
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Violent clashes between policeand protesters in Kashmir over the transfer of forest land to aHindu shrine have scared away thousands of visitors, hurtingthe Himalayan region's tourism industry, tour operators say.
Nearly 10,000 Muslims shouting "we want freedom", took tothe streets on Friday in Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital,while worried tourists peered through hotel windows.
The week-long protests are some of the biggest since aseparatist Muslim insurgency broke out in 1989.
Pakistan and India rule different parts of Kashmir but bothclaim the region in full.
Authorities transferred nearly 100 acres (40 hectares) offorest land in Kashmir to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, aHindu trust, to erect temporary shelters for thousands of Hindupilgrims who annually trek to a cave shrine in the mountains.
Three people have been killed in police firing in thestrife-torn-region since protests broke out on Monday.
Visitors had started returning to the scenic region inrecent years as violence declined after India and Pakistanstarted a slow-moving peace process in 2004.
"All this has hurt the economy of the Kashmir badly. Thenumber of tourists has decreased in the last two to threedays," Inspector-General of Police S.M. Sahai said.
More than 400,000 tourists visited Kashmir during the firstfive months of this year, according to tour operators.
"Tourists are leaving ... lot of cancellations have alreadystarted," Naseer Shah, chairman of the Travel Association ofKashmir, said.
Kashmir was once a top Asian tourism destination, popularamong honeymooners, skiers and trekkers. It attracted about amillion tourists a year until the separatist revolt broke outin 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in theviolence.
Shops, businesses, schools and colleges were closed for afifth day on Friday in protest at the land deal and soldiersand police patrolled the deserted streets in Srinagar.Government offices and banks were also closed.
"My children and wife are sacred. I am trying to leave assoon as possible," said Tirath Kumar, 35, a visitor fromMumbai.
Protesters say the land transfer to the Hindu trust wasaimed at changing the demography of Kashmir, mainly HinduIndia's only Muslim-majority region.
During the two-month-long pilgrimage, thousands of devoutHindus from across India walk and ride ponies to the cave,situated at an altitude of 3,800 metres (12,700 feet), to prayby an ice stalagmite they believe to be a symbol of Hindu godLord Shiva.
(Editing by Alistair Scrutton and David Fogarty)
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