Eid shopping rush in troubled held Kashmir

Monday, September 21, 2009 SRINAGAR: Residents of restive held Kashmir jammed the markets on Sunday in defiance of a rise in violence to stock up for Eid al-Fitr, the biggest Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan.The festival to celebrate the close of the holy month will be held Monday or Tuesday, depending when the new crescent moon is sighted over the region where Islamic militants have been fighting against New Delhi's rule for 20 years.Shopkeepers set up extra kiosks to cater for the mad shopping rush.Hundreds awaited their turn outside the city's well-known confectionery shops and customers filed past with pastries and walnut cookies.Meanwhile, mosques and shrines have been spruced up for tens of thousands of worshippers.