Kashmir Snow, Cold Threaten Pashmina Goats

Top separatist Masarat Alam sent back to jail

(AP) - Indian police arrested a top separatist leader today on accusations he spearheaded months of massive protests against Indian rule in Kashmir. Masarat Alam was taken into custody this evening in a suburb in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a top police officer said, calling the arrest a "significant success" for government forces. "Unlike other separatists, he was leading these protests from the underground," he said. More»

Snow, rain hinder rescue efforts

(NEWSER) - Six Indian soldiers are dead and about 60 trapped beneath the snow of an avalanche that hit an army training center in a ski resort town in Indian-controlled Kashmir this morning. Rescue operations are under way but are being hindered by incessant rain and snowfall. The soldiers were swept away during a training session of the army's High Altitude Warfare School, AP reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Revamped leadership in India and Pakistan and some behind-the-scenes encouragement from the US could lead to negotiations over the disputed Kashmir region, the New York Times reports. But while there are shimmers of hope, the relationship is still strained. “I am happy to meet you,” India’s PM told Pakistan’s president today, “but my mandate is to tell you that the territory of Pakistan must not be used for terrorism.” More»

During seige, attackers cite Muslim grievances in India, Kashmir

(NEWSER) - Cell phone calls made by Mumbai gunmen during their attacks last month have shed some light on the motivations behind the slaughter, the Washington Post reports. Two members of Lashkar-e-Taiba who phoned an Indian TV station during the attacks cited the deaths of 1,000 demonstrators—mostly Muslims—in Gujarat in 2002, the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque, and the Indian presence in Kashmir. More»

Pakistan downplays 'accident,' while Brown reads riot act to Zardari

(NEWSER) - India fighter jets crossed into Pakistan territory yesterday before being intercepted by Pakistani aircraft who harried them back to their own nation, according to officials in Islamabad. The jets buzzed two regions where Indian officials charge that terrorists are being trained, reports the New York Times. Pakistan downplayed the "accidental" incursion today. Indian officials are denying it happened. More»