Yasin Malik ends hunger strike over Kashmir land protest

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Kashmiri separatist leader Mohammad Yasin Malik ended a hunger strike on Sunday after authorities assured him they would work to stop the economic blockade of a Muslim-majority region by Hindu protestors.

Hindus in Jammu, demanding the state government transfer forest land to a Hindu shrine trust, have attacked lorries carrying supplies to the Kashmir valley.

The land row has sparked some of Kashmir's worst religious riots since a separatist Muslim revolt against New Delhi broke out in 1989. At least eight people have died and hundreds have been injured in protests.

Malik, chief of the separatist Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front who began his hunger strike on Tuesday, agreed to end his fast on Sunday after authorities promised to intervene in the dispute.

"I was assured no economic blockade shall be allowed and every effort will be made to keep the highway open," said Malik whose group is politically fighting for complete independence for Kashmir from both India and Pakistan.

The land row has polarised Indian Kashmir, split between the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley and the Hindu-dominated region around Jammu city.

The dispute began after the Kashmir government promised to give forest land to the trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by Hindu pilgrims. Many Muslims were enraged.

The government then backed down on its decision, which in turn angered many Hindus in Jammu, which is under curfew for most of the week.

Traders say Muslim-majority Kashmir valley is running short of essentials, including fuel and medicine.