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16 May 2018•Update: 17 May 2018
By Zahid Rafiq
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir
Indian government on Wednesday announced a conditional ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir against militants during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
“Decision (has been) taken to help peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment,” the Indian Home Ministry announced on its official Twitter account, using an alternate spelling for Ramadan.
However, the statement mentioned that the Indian forces “reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.”
The government in Jammu and Kashmir had last week appealed to the central government to announce a unilateral ceasefire in the region for the month of Ramadan.
Indian forces, since Operation All Out last year, have been hunting down militants and killing them, mostly in southern Kashmir.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.
Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
