2005 Photo Contest, People in the News, 2nd prize
Photographer

Ami Vitale

Getty Images

20 March, 2004

Kashmiri police arrest a man for protesting with the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in Srinagar. At least a dozen people were wounded when police used batons to disperse hundreds of protestors. APDP says more than six thousand people have gone missing since the bloody revolt erupted in Kashmir in 1989. The dispute between India and Pakistan over claims to the mountainous northern region of Kashmir has continued for more than 50 years, and has at least twice led to war between the two nuclear powers. The area is controlled by India, but has a 60 per cent Muslim majority. Since 1989, in addition to the demands of Delhi and Islamabad, several other separatist groups have pursued rival claims to the territory, and Muslim insurgency has been on the increase. Cross-border firing and separatist militancy have left a death toll running into tens of thousands. Towards the end of 2004, India and Pakistan appeared to reach some rapprochement over Pakistan, and tensions eased.

About the photographer

Ami Vitale

Ami Vitale is a photographer, writer and filmmaker currently based in Montana. She is an Ambassador for Nikon and a contract photographer with National Geographic magazine. ...

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