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Indian Kashmir leader joins Christmas prayers for peace

GULMARG, India, Thursday (AFP) Indian Kashmir's leader Thursday attended Christmas mass at a church reopened after 10 years as the restive region's Christians said peace moves between India and Pakistan brightened their holiday.

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was among 120 people who offered prayers for peace at the church, closed a decade ago at the height of the violence, at the ski resort of Gulmarg. Sayeed will also declare the ski season open and inaugurate an ice hockey rink in Gulmarg which he hopes will redevelop as a popular resort after being economically devastated by the nearly 15-year Islamic rebellion.

"Christmas has a special significance for Kashmiris this year as it is being celebrated amidst strengthening hope for peace in the wake of bold peace initiatives by India and Pakistan," Sayeed said in a holiday message. Similar views were echoed across Kashmir, where Pakistan and India entered a border truce November 26 a year after they seemed on the verge of war over the Himalayan territory they both claim.

"Things are looking relaxed this Christmas, and I attribute it to the thaw between India and Pakistan, and the pat on the back they got from the world community," said Madhu Marry, a 21-year-old Christian in the summer capital Srinagar, 52 kilometers (32 miles) east of Gulmarg.

Some 200 people gathered for mass Thursday at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Srinagar, where dozens of Muslims came to offer their greetings. Christians make up less than one percent of Indian Kashmir's 10 million people and have been rarely targetted in the rebellion, unlike Hindus who form the largest religious minority.

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