Killings in Kashmir: The Prospects for India's Rebellion‪.‬

ON MAY 11, 1995, THE BITTER CONflict raging throughout the Kashmir Valley claimed new victims. The shrine of Sheik Nooruddin Wali and the town surrounding it, Charar-i-Sharief, were burned to the ground. The five hundre-year-old shrine of Kashmir's patron saint was the most holy place in the Valley, and its destruction was unusually severe--even for the already savage struggle between Pakistani-backed Muslim militants and Indian government troops. Each side blamed the other for the loss. The popular protests that erupted across the Valley in response to the devastation of Charar-i-Sharief once again demonstrated India's lack of popularity and credibility inside Kashmir. The protests, combined with the strength of the militants, forced the federal government to postpone a planned local election. Strengthened by widespread Kashmiri anger towards India, the militants have stalemated the numerically superior Indian army, as this Hindu-Muslim conflict, now in its sixth year, shows no signs of abating. The Road to Rebellion