People of Kashmir Hold Mass Strike

Kashmir, MINA – Kashmir was hit by a mass strike on Sunday, February 9. The strike was carried out by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) to mark the death of Afzal Guru who was executed for being involved in an Indian parliamentary attack in 2001.

Before the mass strike, JKLF has called for strikes for February 9 until February 11 last Thursday. The activity was to commemorate the death of Afzal Guru and JKLF founder, Maqbool Bhat.

At the call of strike, shops and businesses were closed, while traffic in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir were experiencing the same thing. Indian troops have erected iron barricades and installed barbed wire in parts of the region to block the road, thus quoted from Republika.com on Monday, February 10.

Armed soldiers in full gear facing riots patrolling the streets to prevent protests. Government officials say cellular internet access has been closed as a precaution. Indian police have launched a legal process against JKLF calling for a strike.

The JKLF group has been banned by India since last year. The group is seen as part of a massive crackdown on Kashmir after the February 14 attack when 40 Indian troops were killed. Its offices were closed and major leaders, including its chairman Yasin Malik, were arrested.

On 9 February 2013, Afzal Guru was hanged after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict that he involved in the 2001 attack on parliament.

Previously, Maqbool Bhat was given a hanger sentence while in Tihar prison, New Delhi on 11 February 1984 following his actions for the murder of a police official. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)