India PM visit draws Kashmir anger

Angry Kashmir residents have shut down businesses and shops in protest against a visit by India’s prime minister to the flood-stricken region.

Pro-independence activists took part in the protest on Thursday by closing their shops and businesses in the city of Srinagar, where police and paramilitary soldiers have been stationed to prevent demonstrations.

Security forces erected steel barricades along main roads. Separatist leaders were under house arrest in order to prevent any further protest activities.

On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with aid groups and political parties to find ways to bring help to thousands of Kashmiris left homeless by a recent devastating flood.

Kashmiri residents, however, say the Indian government has failed to adequately address the natural disaster.

Over 280 people have lost their lives in the recent floods, which caused an estimated USD 17 billion in damage to homes and businesses.

Earlier in September, over 270 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir when monsoon floods inundated the Himalayan region, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan in full.

GMA/HSN/KA