Muslims in insurgency-hit Indian Kashmir prayed for peace in overflowing mosques and on the streets for the first Friday prayers of the fasting month of Ramadan. Thousands of worshippers knelt in large rows on rugs and prayer mats in the streets of summer capital Srinagar because mosques and shrines were already filled to capacity. Imams used loudspeakers to reach those outside as Indian troops maintained a strong presence. Police diverted traffic in and around Srinagar's main commercial centre to allow space for the prayers. The message of the prayers was for peace to return to the scenic Himalayan region, where more than 47,000 people have died since the start of an insurgency against Indian rule in 1989. Ramadan, which began in Kashmir on Sunday, traditionally sees an increase in militant violence. 'Allah, we have seen enough of violence. Let permanent peace return to our paradise,' said an imam at one of the busiest mosques in the area. The levels of violence declined sharply after India and Pakistan, whose territorial dispute over Kashmir has triggered two wars, embarked on a peace process in 2004. The process was suspended in the wake of the militant attacks last November on India's financial capital Mumbai and the past few months have witnessed renewed clashes between security forces and protesters, as well as fresh incidents of militant infiltration from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. 'I prayed for peace. Violence gets you nothing,' said Farooq Ahmed, a 43-year- old Srinagar resident. 