By IOL South Asia Correspondent

NEW DELHI, July 13 (IslamOnline) - Normal life in Kashmir valley was paralyzed Saturday, July 13, as people observed a shutdown on a call given by Hurriyat Conference.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while government and semi-government offices recorded very thin attendance. Very few vehicles were seen plying as people chose to stay indoors.

The call for strike was given by the Hurriyat Conference to "pay tribute to all the martyrs from July 13, 1931, who laid their lives for freedom struggle".

The current secessionist movement traces its origins to that day when the erstwhile Maharaja's soldiers killed 22 Kashmiri protesters and injured many in Srinagar for protesting against the autocratic rule and raising popular demands.

According to an estimate today's was the 1,435th hartal (general strike) in the Valley of Kashmir since the eruption of militancy 13 years ago.

Meanwhile, the indefinite strike by private transporters in Kashmir entered its fifth day Saturday.

Despite a feeble attempt by the government to break the ice, the transporters have decided to continue their strike even as the authorities appealed them to call it off "in public interest" assuring to consider all their "genuine" demands, reported Srinagar-based newspaper, Greater Kashmir, today.

The transporters are demanding a hike in their fares between 35 to 56 percent, while the government is ready to accommodate their demands only partially. To offset the adverse effects of the strike the government has pressed hundreds of buses into service but these are inadequate to meet the needs.

The striking transporters at places have indulged in arson and damaged several government vehicles plying on the roads of the capital city.

Transporters accuse that the chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, reneged on assurances offered at a meeting with their representatives at Jammu on February 6 this year.

In fact, the implementation of the decisions taken at the Jammu meeting is the principal demand of the striking transporters. In many rural areas, people have gone back to bullock carts to move around.

Transporters claim that they have been running their business on loss since the eruption of militancy, which has seen frequent strikes and a sharp decline in the numbers of tourists coming to the state.