Asia/Oceania

Troops in Indian-administered Kashmir have allowed some Muslims to walk to local mosques alone or in pairs to mark the Eid al-Adha festival as an unprecedented security lockdown drags into its second week after India stripped the disputed region of its autonomy. Thousands of additional troops were sent to the mostly-Muslim region before India’s Hindu nationalist-led Government said last week it was revoking Kashmir’s special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood. All communications and the internet remained cut off to limit protests against the decision in the Himalayan region where most people oppose Indian rule. The nearconstant curfew and the communications blackout meant independent verification of events was difficult, especially beyond the region’s main city of Srinagar. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.