Strike evokes little response in Valley

SRINAGAR: A strike called by a group of separatists demanding return of bodies of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat evoked little response in Kashmir Valley today.

Public transport and private vehicles were plying normally in most parts of the summer capital, official sources said.

Though shops and business establishments in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and surrounding areas remained closed due to the strike, rest of the city went on with business as usual, the sources said.

In other districts of the Valley, the strike call by Majlis Mashawarat (Consultation Committee), an amalgamation of separatist groups, evoked a mixed response.

Government offices and banks remained open but educational institutions remained closed.

The Majlis, which has JKLF, both factions of Hurriyat Conference, Kashmir Bar Association and Dukhtaran-e-Millat as constituents, had called for a complete shutdown in the Valley when it issued a weekly protest calendar on Sunday.

The Majlis was formed in the wake of Guru's execution inside Tihar Jail on February 9. The main demand of the Majlis is to seek return of mortal remains of Guru and Bhat.

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front founder Bhat was hanged and buried inside Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984, after he was convicted for murdering a police officer.