LAHORE: Ten students from India-held Kashmir will be provided free of cost education and lodging at the Punjab University, an official said Wednesday.

Starting next session in Sept/Oct of 2017, 10 students hailing from India-held Kashmir will be allowed to study at the varsity for free and stay at its hostels every year, vice-chancellor Mujahid Kamran announced.

The announcement comes as Kashmir is witnessing its largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, sparked by the July 8 killing of a popular separatist Burhan Wani by Indian soldiers.

The protests, and a sweeping security crackdown, have all but paralysed life in the region, and instruction at schools and colleges has been seriously affected.

More than 80 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in violence related to the ongoing protests, with government forces firing bullets and shotgun pellets at stone-throwing protesters.