After a long, hot summer of protests against Indian rule, an uneasy calm descended on the Kashmir valley for the holy month of Ramadan. In a bid to reig-nite mass protests, separatist leaders had called for another pro-independence march this week on Lal Chowk, the commercial hub of the summer capital. The authorities responded with a two-day, shoot-on-sight curfew. Protests were abandoned. After a crackdown over the past few months that has left at least 45 people dead, mostly killed when troops opened fire on crowds, this was understandable.rnA committee of party leaders and trade unions says the protests must go on. For now, they have trained their anger on Pakistan's president, Asif Zardari. He caused a stir when, in an interview published ahead of the scheduled rally, he branded militants operating in Kashmir "terrorists".
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