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Afghanistan/South Asia
Movie Theaters Under Attack in Kashmir
2005-09-12
In the latest attack on recreational establishments in the troubled Indian province, Islamic militants attacked on Wednesday the Neelam cinema in the Kashmiri capital. This follows an earlier call by the head of a female separatist group, Dukhtaran e-Millat (Daughters of the faith), Asia Andrabi to target restaurants, internet cafés, and private residences, in a bid to stamp out what she called "immorality and adultery".
She's got a one-track mind, doesn't she?
The groups, al Mansoorian, Harakat al Ansar and the Harakat al Muhajedeen jointly claimed responsibility for the attack. A man who identified himself as Omar Taliban contacted a local news agency and said the assault would serve as a warning for citizens to refrain from watching films, a practice he described as contrary to the teachings of Islam.
Posted by:Fred

#6  In contrast, Pakistan has treated its portion of Kashmir quite differently.

It annexed a portion into Pakistan proper.
It ceeded another portion to China
It renamed the remainder Azad Kashmir or "free Kashmir" but installed a governent there appointed by Islamabad. There has never been a free election in Pakistani Kashmir.
It also settled the region with army vets and other punjabi settlers.
Posted by: john   2005-09-12 20:43  

#5  To be fair, there is another article that applies to the NE of India.

"Special provisions in the Constitution of India to preserve the ethnic cultural, religious identity of the people, and maintain demographic uniqueness of the region".
These apply to Nagaland, Assam Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh.
They effectively prohibit outsiders from exploiting the local people, logging, mining etc and swamping their society.

India is not China. It does not allow its minorties to be swamped by the majority community.
There is nothing like the monolithic Han chinese ethnic group but there are states with massive populations (bigger than the entire pop of germany) that could obliterate the smaller states with their settlers.

Posted by: john   2005-09-12 20:28  

#4  Nehru was himself a Kashmiri. Thought his people were special.

The article restricts the role of the Indian governemnt to defence, external relations etc.
No law or tax passed by the Indian parliament is valid in Kashmir unless the Kashmiri state legislature also agrees. This despite the fact that Kashmiri MPs sit in the national parliament and in the cabinet as ministers.

It is actually representation without taxation.
Really nice setup. Especially when the average kashmiri has the best socio-economic indicators
of any Indian (thanks to massive subsidies).

Because the J+K consitution resricts land holding rights to a certain category of Kashmiri, other Indian citizens cannot own land there. This is an effective bar on settlement and keeps the demographic nature of the state stable.



Posted by: john   2005-09-12 20:10  

#3  WTF? Why was that inserted John? A noble olive branch?
Posted by: Shipman   2005-09-12 19:36  

#2  One of these days India will repeal the article in its consitution that prevents other Indians from settling in Jammu and Kashmir.

Then the hordes will come and all this nonsense will end.

Posted by: john   2005-09-12 18:15  

#1  I have heard of a movie bombing before, but now the theaters...
Posted by: Captain America   2005-09-12 13:34  

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