Violent clashes in occupied Kashmir sparked by the transfer of land to a Hindu group are scaring away tourists, officials say, despite appeals by Mujahideen not to target visitors.
Tensions in the scenic region have spiralled in recent days following the state government decision to transfer land to a trust for the construction of accommodation for tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims making an annual journey to a mountain shrine.
Three Kashmiris have died in police firing and hundreds have been injured in clashes since Monday, evoking memories of widespread anti-India protests that swept the region after insurgency broke out in 1989.
"Before the trouble broke out, some 10,000 tourists were arriving daily, but now there are no arrivals. People are leaving," said IGP S.M. Sahai. The clashes have "hurt our tourism industry badly," he said.
Tourist numbers have been climbing over the past few years, coinciding with a drop in insurgency-related violence thanks to a peace process between India and Pakistan launched in 2004.
Kashmiris view the land transfer as a ploy to settle Indian Hindus in Kashmir, a charge denied by officials, who argue that New Delhi has never encouraged Hindu migration to the disputed Muslim-majority region. The Indian Constitution also prohibits outsiders from buying land in occupied Kashmir.
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