Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Feb 17: Normal life in Kashmir valley remained disrupted today for the second consecutive day in response to a strike call given by the hardline Hurriyat Conference against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
Shops and business establishments remained closed, while public transport was off the roads due to the strike call. However, grocery shops and shops selling essential commodities were open in several localities and people were buying essentials. Some private vehicles were plying on the roads in some areas of the city and other major towns in the Valley.
The hardline separatist Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, had called for two day strike for Saturday and Sunday against Guru’s execution. He has demanded return of Guru’s body to his family for last rites.
Kashmir valley was relatively peaceful today with isolated incidents of stone pelting in some parts of Srinagar’s old city area. However, normal life in Kashmir is disrupted since February 9 when Guru was hanged.
Groups of youth pelted stones on police and para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Kawdara, Saraf Kadal and Rajouri Kadal areas of the old city and police chased them away.
Elsewhere there was heavy deployment of police and CRPF at sensitive places in Srinagar and other major towns and tension prevailed across Kashmir for 9th day today.
A student leader of Kashmir University Students Union, Shafat Sidiqi, was detained after a group of students of the Kashmir University held a candle light protest in Nehru Park on the banks of Dal lake this evening.
A police party rushed to the spot and snatched candles from the protesting students and detained their leader. The students were protesting against the execution of Afzal Guru. They were also demanding return of Guru’s body to his family for last rites.
Around a dozen of separatist leaders who were detained soon after hanging of Afzal Guru were released today. They include Firdous Ahmad Shah, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, Javid Ahmad Mir, Advocate Mohammad Shafi Reshi, Farooq Ahmad Sodagar, Hilal Ahmad War, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, Noor Mohammad Kalwal, Imtiyaz Haider, Mohammad Yousuf Nadeem, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Mohammad Yaseen and Mohammad Yousuf Bhat.
However, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Nayeem Ahmad Khan are in Central jail Srinagar. Chairmen of both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq continued to be under house arrest in New Delhi.
In the meantime the last letter written by Afzal Guru an hour and a half before his hanging in Tihar jail was today released by his family. The letter written in Urdu at 6:25 a.m. on February 9, 2013 is addressed to his family members.
The letter says: “I thank almighty for that he has chosen me for this stature. From my side, I want to congratulate all the believers. We all should stay with truth and righteousness, and our end must also come on the path of truth and righteousness. My request to my family is that instead of grieving over my end, they should respect the stature I have achieved. Almighty God is your greatest protector and greatest help. I leave you in Allah’s protection. Khuda Hafiz.”
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