Peaceful Protests In Kashmir Alter Equation for India

Troops check the papers of a pregnant woman, second from left, being taken to a hospital during the curfew imposed in Srinagar to block a separatist protest. (By Dar Yasin -- Associated Press)

Muslim Kashmiris say they are tired of the daily humiliations at the hands of India's 500,000-member security force, posted in apple orchards, saffron farms and hospitals. Many say they are subjected to constant identification checks, car searches and arrests without reason by soldiers armed with assault rifles and wearing flak jackets.

A senior leader in India's government defended the curfew in Kashmir, saying that "possible militant elements could take advantage of the crowds."

"One can understand when there are reasons for people to assemble. But there is no logic for people to gather in public places without any valid reason," said Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta.

But the nonviolent movement in Kashmir has won over many in India's intellectual class. And in New Delhi, India's capital, public opinion on the issue of Kashmir has been mixed for the first time in decades.

Prime-time television shows have hosted debates on whether Kashmiris should be allowed to vote on their independence. A column in the Hindustan Times, titled "Think the Unthinkable," asked: "Why are we still hanging on to Kashmir if the Kashmiris don't want to have anything to do with us? The answer is machismo."

Booker Prize-winning author and social commentator Arundhati Roy has become a hero in Kashmir for demanding that the Indian government rethink its policy and calling for more international attention to the issue.

"The reaction of the people in Kashmir is actually a referendum," she said recently. "India needs freedom from Kashmir as much as Kashmir needs freedom from India."