Future tense in curfew-bound Srinagar

SRINAGAR: With curfew clamped in the entire Srinagar district, the Valley continues to be tense following a senior Hurriyat Conference leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz's death in police firing on Monday during a protest march towards Muzaffarabad, the Capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) over the Amarnath land row.

The Army has been kept on standby in the Valley with the situation becoming tense. Curfew was first imposed in Srinagar city, but later clamped in the entire district after authorities feared trouble over the death of the Hurriyat leader.

The Hurriyat leader died at a hospital in Srinagar after being critically injured in police firing at Chahal village in Baramulla district. Aziz was among the fruit growers' march, ''Muzaffarabad chalo'', to neutralise the blockade of the Valley by the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS), spearheading the Amarnath land transfer agitation.

Four other people were killed in police firing at different places on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway. Hundreds of people were also injured in the day-long clashes between protestors and security forces who had to resort to firing, teargas shelling and lathicharge in order to thwart the march moving towards Muzaffarabad.

Meanwhile, Aziz's body was taken to Jamia Masjid in the interior city and is likely to be buried at the Eidgah martyrs' graveyard on Tuesday. Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq demanded that the curfew should be lifted to facilitate mourners to pay their last respects to Aziz.

Governor N N Vohra is reviewing the situation and steps are being taken to ensure that the situation remains under control, official sources said.

After failing to reach any consensus on Monday, the members of an all-party delegation led by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will again meet here today to resolve the issue. After the meeting, Patil would apprise Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the deliberations.