The authorities foiled the separatists march towards Srinagar’s city centre Lal Chowk during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s J&K visit on Saturday, as stringent security measures were put in place across the Valley.
Senior leaders of the separatist Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, were detained in their houses. JKLF chief Yasin Malik was arrested ahead of the Prime Minister’s arrival.
The Mirwaiz was detained when he tried to defy the security restrictions outside his residence. “The main motive of peaceful protest at Lal Chowk was to convey to Mr. Modi that the people of Kashmir have been facing repression. People wanted to convey to Mr. Modi their ‘mann ki baat’ ” said the Mirwaiz.
Terming the border skirmishes between India and Pakistan a “result of the lingering Kashmir dispute”, the Mirwaiz said, “The global community is eschewing bitterness and coming closer for mutual benefit of conflict resolution. South Korea and North Korea, too, have joined hands. Unfortunately, the world’s oldest dispute, the Kashmir issue, lingers on due to the obstinate approach of New Delhi.”
Normal life hit
Meanwhile, normal life was impacted due to the separatists shutdown call in the Valley. Lal Chowk was sealed with concertina wires to stop separatists from reaching there. A group of JKLF activists tried to march but were stopped near Budshah Bridge in the city.
Meanwhile, the fourth body of a militant was recovered from the encounter site in north Kashmir's Handwara, according to the Army. All the slain militants were foreigners and belonged to the Jaish-e-Muhammad, they said.
