SRINAGAR: India began removing 16 of about 200 paramilitary bunkers in Kashmir's heavily fortified main city Tuesday to try to defuse tensions after months of deadly unrest over Indian rule. Troops inside the bunkers monitor the movements of people on the streets. They can fire weapons and are close to big fortified security camps, which – along with security checkpoints – are detested by Kashmiri Muslims who oppose Indian rule over the disputed region. Schoolteacher Abdul Rashid dismissed the move as cosmetic and said such gestures have not worked in the past. “As long as they have these huge military and paramilitary camps around us, it doesn't mean anything.” Kashmiri businessman Bashir Ahmed said withdrawal of troops from populated areas in Kashmir was needed, not just the removal of a few bunkers. Bunkers placed in Srinagar in the 1990s were mainly piles of sandbags, but modern ones are secure guard posts of brick and cement that can accommodate up to 20 soldiers. Both types still exist in the city. While 16 were being removed, about 200 exist in Srinagar and hundreds dot Kashmir overall. “We've removed seven so far,” said Prabhakar Tripathi, a spokesman for the paramilitary forces in Indian Kashmir. The removal is a goodwill gesture by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government in an attempt to douse the deadly unrest that has claimed 108 lives since June. Most of those killed were teenagers and young men shot by government forces, and each death has stoked public anger and more protests. Facing criticism from his political rivals, Singh sent a delegation of lawmakers to the region last month to talk to Kashmiri leaders. Some of them even met separatist leaders in a bid to end the impasse. The government backed it up by announcing the release of hundreds of detainees and reviewing the deployment of security forces and inviting Kashmiri leaders for a dialogue to end the decades-old dispute. The separatists – who are fighting Indian rule – rejected the government's proposals. On Tuesday, troops enforced a rigid curfew in most parts of Srinagar and key towns, while a separatist strike kept shops, businesses, schools and most government offices closed in the region. — Associated Press Since June, businesses have lost millions of dollars and schools and government offices have opened only intermittently – when the strike calls or curfews have briefly been lifted. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in entirety. Protesters reject Indian rule and want independence or a merger with predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Since 1989, an armed uprising and an ensuing crackdown by Indian security forces have killed an estimated 68,000 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir. While that rebellion has been largely suppressed, the resistance is now principally through street demonstrations.
