Kashmir gets two-day breather from shutdowns

SRINAGAR - Life again limped back to normal in Srinagar and other towns of the Kashmir Valley Thursday as the authorities did not impose any curfew and separatists asked people to resume normal life for two days.

No curfew or restrictions have been imposed anywhere in the valley Thursday,” a senior police officer said here.

The hardline Hurriyat group headed by Syed Ali Geelani has asked people to resume normal activities Thursday and Friday.

This is the first time in the last four months of protests and shutdowns that the separatists have called for two days of consecutive normalcy.

Life has remained paralysed in the valley for over four months since June 11 when separatists started their so-called “Quit Kashmir” campaign and issued protest calendars for marches and shutdowns.

The calendars are issued almost on a weekly basis by Geelani’s group.

So far, 110 people have lost their lives in the unrest in the valley since June 11.

Shops, other businesses, public transport, educational institutions, banks and post offices worked normally in Srinagar and elsewhere in the valley, where a separatist campaign since 1989 has left thousands dead.

Most roads in the summer capital Srinagar witnessed traffic jams. Police had a tough time clearing traffic, especially at Radio Kashmir and Jahangir Chowk crossings.