Sections of the security forces have reportedly been against its renewal. New Delhi last month invited Kashmiri groups for talks, but the move has evoked an isolated response from rebel leader Shabir Shah who has exchanged letters with India's Kashmir chief negotiator K.C.Pant. Muslim-majority Kashmir was divided between India and Pakistan in 1947 but remains claimed by both. Part of the population favours independence. The insurgency has claimed more than 34,000 lives since 1989, according to Indian figures.
Separatist leaders say the death toll is twice as high.
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