Separatists protest as PM visits valley

Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 3:10 am

Protesters clashed with police at two places as hundreds of them took to streets after Friday (Oct 10) prayers in the Valley where normal life was hit by a strike called by separatists against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

Groups of youths also shouted slogans against Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for his comments that militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir were “terrorists” and torched his effigies at Budshah chowk in the heart of the city and outside historic Jamia Masjid.

The protesters pelted stones on police and paramilitary forces at Maisuma and Nowhatta, official sources said adding police fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse the protesters. Eight persons were injured in the violence, the sources said.

In other places, the protesters dispersed peacefully but life in Valley was affected by a strike called by separatists against the two-day visit of Prime Minister who commissioned the Baglihar hydel power project at Ramban today.

The separatists coordination committee “has given a call for peaceful protests today and observance of civil curfew tomorrow to convey to the Prime Minister that Kashmir problem is not an issue of packages but involves the future of a nation,” chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik said addressing a gathering outside his party headquarters at Maisuma.

Malik said the time had come for resolution of Kashmir issue and the recent protest should serve as an “eye-opener” to the Indian government. “Efforts should be made to resolve Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people,” he said.

Shopkeepers in Srinagar and other major towns of the valley pulled down the shutters at midday and later joined the protests outside the mosques, shrines and Khankahs across the valley, official sources said. Transport services were also hit as majority of vehicles went off the roads, they said.

Two killed in police firing on protesters opposing PM’s visit

Two persons were killed and 75 people, including 34 security personnel, in firing by security personnel on violent street protesters led by separatists against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

The violent protests erupted in parts of the city and Baramulla district town shortly after Friday prayers when hundreds of people took to streets in the valley where normal life was hit by a strike called by separatists’ coordination committee against the Prime Ministers visit.

Mehraj-ud-din Sheikh alias “Babloo” and Shafat Ahmad Dar were killed when security forces opened fire after teargas shelling and lathicharge proved ineffective to disperse stone-pelting mobs at Nowhatta and adjoining localities in the vicinity of Jamia Masjid in interior city, official sources said.

While Sheikh succumbed in hospital, Dar fell to the bullets this evening while taking part in a protest by a large number of people to mourn the death of Sheikh, the sources said. Five persons were injured in the firing, the sources said adding the condition of two of them was stated to be serious.

Earlier, the day-long clashes between police and the protestors in the sensitive area left 55 persons, including 25 security personnel, injured, the sources said adding the injured CRPF personnel included an assistant commandant of the force. A police spokesman said security forces opened fire when a group of violent protestors resorted to stone-pelting in a bid to ransack police station at Nowhatt.

Three barricades and a CRPF bunker at Nowhatta police station were damaged in the clashes, the police spokesman added. The sources said reinforcements of security forces have been rushed to the area to resorte law and order as clashes continued late into the evening.

Thousands of protesters gathered at the hospitals where the bodies of the deceased youth were lying, the sources said. Violence also rocked Maisuma, Gawkadal and Nai Sarak in the heart of the city and Baramulla district town of North Kashmir where group of youth indulged in stone-pelting and police assisted by paramilitary forces retaliated with teargas shells, rubber bullets and batons, the sources said.

They said 15 persons, including nine security personnel, were injured in the clashes which continued for most part of the day. Groups of youths also shouted slogans against Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for his comments that militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir were “terrorists” and torched his effigies at Budshah Chowk in the heart of the city and outside Jamia Masjid, the sources said.

In other places, the protesters dispersed peacefully but life in the Kashmir Valley was affected by a strike called by separatists against the visit of the Prime Minister who commissioned the Baglihar hydel power project at Ramban today.

The separatists coordination committee “has given a call for peaceful protests today and observance of civil curfew tomorrow to convey to the Prime Minister that Kashmir problem
is not an issue of packages but involves the future of a nation,” chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik said addressing a gathering outside his party headquarters at Maisumaa.

Malik said the time had come for resolution of the Kashmir issue and the recent protest should serve as an “eye-opener” to the Indian government. “Efforts should be made to resolve the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people,” he said.

Shopkeepers in Srinagar and other major towns of the valley downed their shutters at midday and later joined the protests outside mosques, shrines and Khanqahs, official sources said. Transport services were also hit as majority of vehicles went off the roads, they said.

(Agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Separatists protest as PM visits valley

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