Kashmir protests after deaths, despite govt warnings
Protesters in Indian Kashmir held angry rallies yesterday in defiance of a plea from the region's chief minister, as four more people died after clashes with security forces.
Police in Srinagar, the main town in the Muslim-majority territory, used loudspeakers mounted on vehicles to warn that "anyone seen violating curfew restrictions will be shot dead."
But state officials denied that an official "shoot-on-sight" order had been issued.
Police said the latest victims included two young men killed when security forces opened fire to quell demonstrators in Srinagar.
A third protester died in the southern district of Kulgam when police fired on protesters setting fire to a police post, while another man died in hospital of injuries suffered over the weekend.
At least 43 people have died in weeks of unrest -- most of them killed by security forces trying to disperse angry protests against Indian rule. Each death has triggered further violent demonstrations and security crackdowns.
India and Pakistan each hold part of Kashmir but claim it in full, and the government in Islamabad on Tuesday called on India to "exercise restraint" in the disputed region.
"Pakistan is seriously concerned at the escalation of violence against Kashmiri people that has resulted in the loss of innocent lives," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said.
Omar Abdullah, Indian Kashmir's chief minister, held crisis talks in New Delhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday and appealed for restraint as the region endures its worst bout of unrest for two years.
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