Strike by Hurriyat Conference hits normal life in Kashmir Valley

SRINAGAR: Normal life was affected in the Kashmir Valley due to a strike called by hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani demanding immediate disbanding of Village Defense Committees (VDCs).

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed, while government offices and banks witnessed thin attendance, official sources said.

They said public transport was off the roads, but private cars and autorickshaws were seen plying.

Geelani and other separatist leaders, including the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), have demanded that the VDCs be disbanded.

Many mainstream parties including opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) have also voiced concern over the functioning of the members of the VDCs, especially in the wake of the communal clashes in Kishtwar on Eid last week in which three persons were dead.

The Hurriyat hawk had earlier called for the strike on Friday, but deferred it to Saturday on the request of Mirwaiz. Mirwaiz had appealed the separatist organisations to desist from calling shutdowns on Fridays.