Indian Authorities Arrest 3 Kashmir Leaders

Indian authorities have arrested three Kashmi leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. Syed Ali Geelani is a member of Jamaat-e-Islami which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamaat-e-Islami has been accused of having links with al Qaida. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is the chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a grassroots coalition of pro-Pakistan secessionist groups in Jammu and Kashmir.

Both leaders were scheduled to attend a rally in Srinagar's Red Square today.AFP

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) — Indian security forces arrested three senior Muslim leaders in Kashmir and enforced a strict curfew on Monday to prevent separatists from holding a pro-independence rally.

Eight people were hurt in two incidents north of the state summer capital Srinagar when troops opened fire to disperse anti-India protesters who defied the curfew, police and doctors said.

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Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who head hardline and moderate factions of the region's separatist alliance, were arrested after overnight raids on their homes in Srinagar, police said.

The two have been leading a series of large demonstrations over the past two weeks, reviving calls for independence from Indian rule.

They planned to hold a rally Monday in Srinagar's Red Square, where in 1948 India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised Kashmiris the right to self-determination through a referendum -- a pledge that has not been upheld.

"The two have been arrested to prevent today's rally," a police officer who asked not to be named told AFP.

State-owned media said they were being held for "instigating crowds and causing law and order problems."

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