Asia

Indian police arrest key Kashmiri separatist leader

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Senior separatist leader of the hardliner faction of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani waves to his supporters outside his house as he arrives to participate in a march towards an army base in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. A strict curfew, a series of communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of Kashmir's largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (The Associated Press)

Kashmir Muslims shout pro-freedom slogans in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. A strict curfew, a series of communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of Kashmir's largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (The Associated Press)

Kashmir Muslims shout pro-freedom slogans as they hold placards and pictures of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. A strict curfew, a series of communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of Kashmir's largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (The Associated Press)

Police in India's portion of Kashmir have arrested one of the key separatist leaders spearheading protests against Indian rule in the disputed region.

Police arrested Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was already under house arrest, late Friday and locked him up in a government facility in Srinagar, the region's main city.

A strict curfew and a tightening crackdown by authorities have failed to stop some of Kashmir's largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the region's top elected official, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday, seeking a comprehensive dialogue with Kashmiri separatist leaders and neighboring Pakistan to try to resolve the dispute over Kashmir.