Thousands of Hindus pray at Kashmir shrine
Sunday, 20 June 2010
SRINAGAR, June 19 (AFP): Tears flowed as thousands of Hindus who fled a Muslim insurgency in Indian Kashmir Saturday prayed at a revered shrine many had not visited for decades, as troops kept a tight vigil.
An estimated 200,000 Hindus fled the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley, where the main city Srinagar is located, after the insurgency against Indian rule erupted in 1989.
They re-settled in the Hindu-dominated southern part of the state, Jammu, and other parts of India.
But some are now trickling back as violence has sharply declined in the scenic Himalayan region since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004.
An estimated 200,000 Hindus fled the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley, where the main city Srinagar is located, after the insurgency against Indian rule erupted in 1989.
They re-settled in the Hindu-dominated southern part of the state, Jammu, and other parts of India.
But some are now trickling back as violence has sharply declined in the scenic Himalayan region since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004.