India calls for easing of security in Kashmir

The Indian government announced a major policy shift in Kashmir on Saturday, calling for the release of jailed student protesters, easing security strictures in major cities, reopening schools and universities, and offering financial compensation to the families of the more than 100 civilians killed since the restive region erupted in protests in June. Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, who led a parliamentary delegation on a fact-finding trip last week, also said a high-level government committee would be established to open a dialogue with political parties, students and civil society groups in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian-controlled part of the disputed region. "We hope that these steps should address the concerns of different sections of Jammu and Kashmir, including the protesters," Mr. Chidambaram said on national television. Separatist leaders said they were assessing the announcement on Saturday night, but several protesters and analysts said that the changes would be judged less by what was said than by how they were carried out.