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Kashmir: A Troubled Paradise

105 images Created 14 Sep 2012

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  • The picturesque skiing resort of Gulmarg in the Indian held state of Kashmir is virtually empty despite the perfect skiing conditions,  February 17, 2002.  Gulmarg has often been called the Switzerland of Asia with its faded elegance and top rated skiing conditions but because of the militant insurgancy, its proximity to Pakistan and the risk of being kidnapped, most foreign tourists stopped visiting  over ten years ago.  Gulmarg is only 15 kilometers from the Line of Control where India and Pakistan have amassed hundreds of thousands of troops poised to begin a fourth war as the tensions over Kashmir escalate.
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  • Supporters of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Omar Abdullah sing at a rally for him on Dal Lake in the capital Srinagar of Indian Kashmir Sept. 22, 2002.
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  • KASHMIR,INDIA, JULY 29:  A Kashmiri boy studying in a madrassa sits on top of a crumbling Moghul mosque and watches his classmates play cricket on a quiet afternoon in Srinagar, the Indian-held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, July 29, 2003. Since the 15th century, the Himalayan kingdom of Kashmir was known for its beauty and serenity. Everyone from Mughal emperors to British colonialists fell in love with its physical beauty.  Since 1989, it has been a state under siege, with both India and Pakistan laying claim to it. Human rights organizations say more than 80,000 have died in the 13-year-old conflict. The Indian government says 40,000, but whatever the number, it has been mainly Kashmiri residents who have suffered as the two nuclear armed countries fight a proxy war.
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  • A Kashmiri  child visits a Sufi shrine in Srinagar, the Indian held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.   Sufiism is a gentle brand of Islam that is mystical and considered by some to be a blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.  It has been gradually pushed aside my more fundamentalist forms of Islam orignating in Pakistan.
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  • Kashmiri children load themselves up in a rickshaw on their way back from school in the city of Srinagar   in  Kashmir during Ramadan November 21.  Kashmir has seen nearly 1000 civilians killed this year alone and 1,765 wounded in a brutal conflict that the United Nations calls the most dangerous place in the world.  (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • KASHMIR,INDIA, JULY 25:  Kashmiri children enjoy some relief from the scalding temperatures with a swim in Dal Lake at the base of the Himalayas in Srinagar, the Indian held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir July 25, 2003.  Islamic guerrillas have been fighting for independence of the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir since 1989 but for the first time in 13 years, Kashmiris living in Srinagar have enjoyed a fragile peace and rise in tourism.
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  • Henna is applied to the hands and feet of a bride before her engagement ceremony in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir.
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  • A Kashmiri store owner smokes a pipe in central Srinigar, February 12, 2002 in the Indian held state of Kashmir. India and Pakistan have already fought three wars over Kashmir and are the brink again as they amass their troops along the Line of Control.  (Ami Vitale)
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  • Muslims gather inside the Jamia Masjid mosque for the first Fridy afternoon prayers of Ramadan in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, in India  November 23, 2001.  Kashmir has seen nearly 1000 civilians killed this year alone and 1,765 wounded in a brutal conflict that the United Nations calls the most dangerous place in the world.
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  • A Kashmiri woman prays inside Jamia Masjid mosque during afternoon prayers in Srinagar, the summer captial of the Indian held state of Jammu and Kashmir on May 24. Many Kashmiris are mourning the death of Abdul Ghani Lone, a leader of the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, Kashmir's main separatist alliance who was shot dead at a public meeting on Tuesday. (Ami Vitale)
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  • Kashmiri men pray inside the Jama Masjid mosque during Ramadan in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Kashmir in India, November 20.  Kashmir has seen over 900 civilians killed this year and 1,765 wounded in a brutal conflict that the United Nations once called the most dangerous place in the world.
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  • KASHMIR,INDIA: A Kashmiri Muslim woman and her child visit a Shiite shrine in Srinagar, the Indian held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir .  A sign reads that ladies are not allowed to enter the shrine after 6:30 pm.  Islamic guerrillas have been fighting for independence of the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir since 1989 but for the first time in 13 years, Kashmiris living in Srinagar have enjoyed a fragile peace and boon in tourism.
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  • A Kashmir woman watches the famous Sufi Saint  from outside his fence in the hopes that he will answer some of her prayers and give her spiritual guidance in the village of Sopore, August 19, 2002. Though the majority of Kashmiri people are Muslim, there is also a strong legacy of Sufism in the region. This has created a special brand of Islam throughout the Himalayan area.
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  • Indian Border Security Force soldiers conduct a cordon and search operation where they entered homes and searched the area for militants in a suburban area of Srinigar, the summer capital of Indian held Kashmir  February 15.  India and Pakistan have already fought three wars over Kashmir and were on the brink again as they amassed near a million troops along the Line of Control.
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  • Kashmiri Muslims looks up at what is believed to be a relic of Prophet Mohammed's hair at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, May 25.   Since the 15th century, the Himalayan kingdom of Kashmir was known for its beauty and serenity. Everyone from Mughal emporors to British colonialists fell in love with its physical beauty.  Since 1989, it has been a state under siege, with both India and Pakistan laying claim to it. Human rights organizations say more than 80,000 have died in the 13 year old conflict. The Indian government says 40,000, but whatever the number, it has been mainly Kashmiri residents who have suffered as the two nuclear armed countries continue their proxy war.
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  • A Kashmiri child waits outside in a cordoned area along with hundreds of other villagers that were evacuated around 4 a.m. March 28, 2002 before a gun battle between a militant and Indian security forces broke out in Budgam district west of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The muslim militant hid in a mosque in a 20-hour siege. It was the fourth time in two months that separatists had sought refuge in a mosque in the Himalayan region. Nearly a dozen militant groups are fighting New Delhi's rule in Jammu and Kashmir. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Islamic militants. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only offers moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists.
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  • Kashmiri youth scream "We want freedom" during a protest in the streets of Srinagar on September 24. Few people braved anti-poll violence in Kashmir's main city to vote in a state election after an early morning gun battle between Indian Border Security Forces and suspected Muslim militants.
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  • Jammu and Kashmir police charge and arrest Moulana Mohammed Tahri who is the second in charge of the Democratic Freedom Party as others run away after they attempted to  march in the streets of Srinagar, Kashmir Tuesday, November 6. The war in Kashmir has been going on since 1989 when militant organizations chose to fight for secession from India.
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  • SRINGAR,KASHMIR--MAY 1:  Kashmiri protesters fight with Indian security forces in the village of Sowtang in Budgam district, outside Srinagar, the Indian administered summer capital of Kashmir, May 1, 2003. Hundreds of Kashmiris were protesting the death of  a 17- year-old student, Javed Ahmad Magray, who was allegedly taken from his home in the night by Indian security and killed in cold blood.
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  • The relatives and neighbors of Muzzamil Ahmad, a 19-year-old Muslim who was killed when he was hit by an Indian security force vehicle, mourn his death in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir September 28.
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  • SRINGAR:KASHMIR:MAY 1:  Kashmiri protesters raise their arms to show they are unarmed as they pass Indian security forces in the village of Sowtang in Budgam district, outside Srinagar, the Indian administered summer capital of Kashmir May 1, 2003. Hundreds of Kashmiris were protesting the death of  a 17- year-old student, Javed Ahmad Magray, who was allegedly taken from his home in the night by Indian security and killed in cold blood.
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  • The relatives and neighbors of Muzzamil Ahmad, a 19-year-old Muslim, who was killed when he was hit by an Indian security force vehicle move his body from a street in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir.  Nearly 1,000 people blocked traffic, threw stones and shouted anti-India slogans after he was killed.
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  • Dheeraj Kohli, who was killed while working as a police officer by an unknown militant in a grenade attack on   is cremated March 31, in Jammu. At least 10 were killed and 18 injured after two militants went on a shooting spree and threw grenades in a temple and shopping district of the Indian state. Nearly a dozen militant groups are fighting New Delhi's rule in Jammu and Kashmir. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Islamic militants. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only offers moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists. (Ami Vitale).
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  • A Kashmiri woman prays inside Dastigeer Sahib Shrine at the summer capital  of Srinagar in the Indian held state of Kashmir,  September 20, 2002. After the Friday afternoon prayers, protesters took to the streets to voice their feelings about the elections in Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir police responded with tear gas and one arrest.
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  • KASHMIR,INDIA, JULY 30:   Photos of missing Kashmiris are spread on the floor during a meeting of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in Srinagar, the Indian held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir July 30, 2003.  The group says that 8,000 people are missing since the insurgency began and they beleive most have been taken by Indian security forces and never returned.  Since 1989, Kashmir has been a state under siege, with both India and Pakistan laying claim to it. Human rights organizations say more than 80,000 have died in the 13 year old conflict. The Indian government says 40,000, but whatever the number, it has been mainly Kashmiri residents who have suffered as the two nuclear armed countries fight a proxy war.
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