Why Shia celebrate Muharram, why was it banned in Kashmir? Here is the 30-yr-long Kashmir story

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Muharram procession was allowed by J&K administration in Srinagar after nearly three decades. While the decision to allow the procession on the 8th of Muharram, which marks the starting of the Islamic year (this year starting on July 19), has been widely praised. It has also generated calls to abolish the ban on the traditional Ashura march on Muharram 10th.

Ashura processions are extremely important to Shia Muslims all over the world because they commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the Prophet's grandson, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in 680 AD (10 Muharram 61 AH). Historically, Muharram processions faced restrictions under the Dogra rulers of Jammu and Kashmir, with the bans intensifying during the onset of militancy in the region. In the 1920s, the Dogras ordered that Muharram processions should be wrapped up before sunrise, citing “Shia-Sunni tensions”.

However, a few individuals, including prominent Sunni merchant Khwaja Saad-ud Din Shawl and Shia jagirdar Aga Sayyid Hussain Jalali, organized defiant processions in the 1920s, which became linked with Kashmir's struggle for freedom against Dogra rule. In the past, the main Muharram procession in Srinagar commenced from Abi Guzar, passed through the old city, and culminated at Zadibal, with the Ansari and Aga families leading it alternately. This procession attracted both Shia and Sunni mourners, with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah advocating for unity between the communities.

For several decades, the Muharram processions followed their usual itineraries. The authorities refused permission in 1988 because Muharram coincided with the death of Pakistan's President Gen Zia-ul-Haq, which sparked unrest in the Kashmir Valley. After the