Srinagar, India  - Srinagar, the capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state, prepared Friday for yet another rally called by Muslim separatist leaders after three days of relative calm.

Thousands of people were expected to attend the prayer meeting and rally called by the Coordination Committee - a forum of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, Kashmiri fruit growers' associations and some professional bodies - held at Idgah, a historic prayer ground in Srinagar.

Clashes between protestors and the security forces in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley led to the deaths of 23 people over the past two weeks.

The protests, sparked by a row over allotment of government land to a Hindu cave shrine, has taken an anti-India and pro-freedom turn in Kashmir valley and led to deep communal division with the Jammu region in the south, which has a large Hindu population.

While the Hindu groups in the Jammu region have been holding protests to demand land be given to the Hindu shrine, the Muslims in the north have been protesting against it.

In Srinagar, young men set up tables along the streets with water and refreshments for people attending the prayer meeting leading to the Idgah grounds.

Schools, colleges, shops and offices were closed and traffic was off the roads. There was no evidence of extra security forces in the old quarters of the town around the site.

A committee member said the prayers would be followed by "pro-freedom" speeches by leaders.

The committee has also called for a shutdown in the valley on the weekend and another protest rally on Monday at Lal Chowk square, near the seat of the state government.

The disputed Kashmir region is divided into two parts - one administered by India and the other by Pakistan. The South Asian neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. While a section of Kashmiri separatists want independence for India-administered Kashmir, another wants it to join Pakistan. (dpa)