Tight security in Kashmir Valley on strike day

By IOL South Asia Correspondent

NEW DELHI, January 28 (IslamOnline) - Life came to a halt on the Indian Republic Day in Kashmir valley of the Indian-administered Kashmir Saturday and Sunday, January 25-26.

The strike was called by All Party Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of 23 secessionist political and social outfits.

Saturday’s strike was to protest against the unlawful detention of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and many other Kashmiri political activists in Indian jails.

Sunday’s strike was to boycott Republic Day celebrations which secessionists dub “Black Day”.

Separatist groups call for a public strike on Republic Day (January 26) every year. Most people in Kashmir valley do not participate in Republic Day celebrations, which are usually limited to government and military employees in heavily guarded stadiums.

Shops and commercial establishments kept their shutters down on both days. There was little traffic on the roads and attendance of employees in government and semi-government offices was low.

Business and office closure was reported from all district headquarters and major towns in the valley.

Sopore, a town famous for world-class apples looked deserted. Only stray cattle and security personnel were seen moving in the town.

Militant groups had threatened to disrupt Republic Day celebrations. Security was beefed up in the entire valley to prevent untoward incident. Some people were arrested the night before Republic Day celebrations as a precautionary measure.

However, the participation of Kashmiris in Republic Day celebrations increased this year because Kashmir chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s party, People Democratic Alliance (PDP) and its other coalition partners brought people in buses to the venues to ensure their participation in the celebrations.

Kashmir finance and planning minister Muzaffar Baig takes Republic Day salute in Srinagar

Sunday passed without any incident of violence. The largest gathering of Republic Day celebration was witnessed at Bakshi stadium, Srinagar, where 8000-10,000 people celebrated the occasion.

For the first time in 13 years places like Ganderbal, Bandipora and Handawara people celebrated Republic Day in huge numbers ranging between 2,500 to 3,000.

More than 5,000 Kashmiri political activists have been detained in jails all over the country, the Hurriyat Conference said.

Many separatist leaders are held up without any charges. Some of the detainees are suspected to be involved in terrorist violence.

But the government does not have enough evidence to convict them or even try them in courts.

Militants have been fighting for Kashmir’ s independence or its merger with Pakistan since July 1988. More than 61,000 people have been killed in the state since 1989.