Barring parts of south, life returns to normal in Kashmir

However, business and other activities remained crippled for the second successive day in twin south Kashmir districts of Shopian and Kulgam, where situation is tense following killing of two militants in an encounter with security forces on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, curfew-like restrictions imposed on Tuesday in the down town and Shehar-e-Khas (SeK), Srinagar to prevent any demonstration has been lifted.

A police spokesperson said that there were no restrictions in any part of the valley though security forces have been deployed in strength to maintain law and order in sensitive areas in south Kashmir.

Shops and business establishments reopened and traffic on all routes was plying normally in summer capital, Srinagar, and other major towns and tehsil headquarters in the valley.

All the shops reopened early on Wednesday morning in the main business hubs in civil lines, including historic Lal Chowk, Gonikhan, Residency Road, Maulana Azad Road, Mahraj Bazar, Batamaloo, Iqbal Park, Dalgate, Regal Chowk and Budshah Chowk.

The main gates of Jamia Masjid, stronghold of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, which were closed on Tuesday, were opened and devotees offered prayers in the historic mosque.

The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) -- comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik -- has called for a day-long strike on the death anniversaries of Mirwai Moulvi Muhammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone.

Mirwaiz, father of chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen on May 21 in 1990 in his Nigeen house. Peoples Conference (PC), a constituent of separatist HC chairman Abdul Gani Lone, was killed in 2002 by gunmen when he was about to leave for home after paying tributes to Mirwaiz at Eidgh in the down town on May 21.

Business and other activities resumed in twin central Kashmir districts of Budgam and Ganderbal.

Reports of normalcy were also received from other parts of the Valley, including Baramulla, Sopore, Bandipora and Pattan in north Kashmir, where security forces remained deployed in some sensitive areas to prevent any law and order problem.

Spontaneous shutdown was observed in Shopian and Kulgam after the news of the death of two militants in an encounter with security forces spread in south Kashmir. Mobile internet services have been suspended in the twin districts to prevent spreading rumours.

Image: UNI