Police fired tear gas to disperse nearly 200 protesters who threw rocks at them during a strike called by a pro-Pakistan separatist group Saturday to protest the Indian president's visit to India's portion of Kashmir, a paramilitary officer said. One policeman received minor injuries in the clash near the grand mosque in Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state, said Prabhakar Tripathi, a spokesman for the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force. The protesters chanted, “Long live Pakistan” and “Indian troops go back.” Separatist groups and armed militants oppose India's rule in Kashmir. Most shops, businesses and schools were closed for the day Saturday during the strike, supported by Hezb-ul-Mujahideen, the main armed rebel group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. President Pratibha Patil began a five-day visit to the region Friday by meeting soldiers posted close to India's highly militarized de facto frontier with Pakistan.
