Kashmir ceasefire: Little support on the ground

A Kashmiri woman pleads for the return of her arrested son

By the BBC's Jill McGiveringin Srinigar

The Indian Government has extended its unilateral ceasefire in Indian Kashmir.

But some say the violence in the Indian-administered region is worse now than ever.

Since the ceasefire was implemented last November, Indian forces have stopped search raids and offensive operations against militants.

But opposition to the ceasefire is intense.

Hurling rocks

Many on the ground say the killings and human rights abuses have got worse and that has sparked the biggest wave of street violence for many years. For several days now, there has been open violence on the streets of Srinagar with angry groups of youths hurling rocks at security forces.

Ceasefire extension due to expire

Police respond with teargas and baton charges.

Many of the clashes started as protests against alleged police heavy-handedness and custodial killings.

As 14-year-old Javad Ahmed Nath was buried, a crowd of hundreds gathered at the grave chanting defiantly.

He was shot dead by Indian soldiers just a few hours earlier when they opened fire on protesters. One mourner said the boy's death was only one of many extra-judicial killings - something the Indian Government strongly denies.

"It's very tense because nobody knows what's going on," said one mourner. "They kill, every day they kill dozens of people for reasons best known to the government of India. Anybody can be killed."

The anger turned to mourning as final prayers were said. Many people here have little faith in the current ceasefire.

Indian security forces watch a street protest in Srinagar

They say the Line of Control may be less violent but killings in the valley have not decreased.

Parvez Imroz is a lawyer in Srinagar documenting human rights abuses. He says this unilateral ceasefire has made no difference.

" It has not made any difference," he said. "People are jokingly saying here sometimes that the ceasefire should be withdrawn so the human rights violations should get minimised here.

"On the ground, militants have not agreed [to take part in the ceasefire.] So on the ground, the violence has escalated."

Streets tense

The security forces have their own problems - they are now on heightened alert.

Militants opposed to the ceasefire have carried out a series of dramatic suicide attacks against them. Groups like the paramilitary police feel more vulnerable than ever.

Sashi Negi, a company commander with the Central Reserve Police Force, said: "Since the ceasefire, the militants have come out into the open.

"The kind of pro-active offensive against them [we saw before] is no longer happening. The general public has taken to the streets too - and that's why we feel more tense.

For families of those killed in the recent clashes, like 14-year-old Javad, the political crisis doesn't matter.

All they know is that they have lost a brother, a son.

'Few gains'

Javad's father is still in shock. "All my son and I were doing was going to work," he told me.

"We don't have anything to do with politics, we were just trying to earn a living - and now my son is dead.

The Indian Government has made a difficult decision.

The ceasefire was meant to be a brave move towards negotiations which could bring political progress on Kashmir.

Ending it would have been an embarrassing admission of defeat. But the ceasefire in its present form has brought few gains - and in the valley at least has little support.