Two-day curfew in the Kashmir valley has been lifted (dossier)
New Delhi:
The administration of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday evening lifted the two-day curfew – for August 4 and 5 – that it had imposed on Monday evening before the first anniversary of the central government’s decision to remove the special status of J&K under section 370 and to split the old one. State in two Union territories.
The decision to lift the curfew, which the Srinagar district magistrate said was ordered in the Kashmir valley on the basis of reports that “separatists and Pakistan-sponsored groups (were considering) observe August 5 as a dark day, ”came after growing criticism of the restrictions.
Instead of the curfew, the administration again highlighted movement restrictions imposed in the region due to the Covid crisis.
“Following the examination of the situation without incident of August 4 and the other reports received in this context, the case was re-examined and it was decided to lift the restrictions”, indicates the order signed by the magistrate.
However, the order also specified that shops and commercial establishments would remain closed and that public transport would continue to be suspended, except for essential goods and their supplies.
“There will be a full lockdown in containment zones and red zones in the district and restrictions on the movement of more than 3 people would be prohibited,” the order said.
The Union Minister of the Interior on Tuesday reviewed the COVID-19 situation at J&K and praised the administration for its handling. The Minister of the Interior stressed that it was necessary to work on reducing the death rate, revealed an officer.
J&K Union Territory has so far reported more than 22,000 cases, of which more than 7,500 are active cases and 407 are virus-related deaths.
Ladakh has performed much better, reporting only 1,485 cases so far, of which 369 are active cases and seven are deaths.
In the previous order, the Srinagar district magistrate cited information that separatists and Pakistan-sponsored groups planned to observe August 5 as a “dark day”.
“Protests are not excluded. There are specific entries on violent protests endangering public life and property,” the ordinance said.
Meanwhile, the President of the National Conference and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah invited the leaders of many traditional political parties to a crucial meeting at his residence in Srinagar on August 5.
GalacticGaming has learned that many parties, including the PDP, Congress, National Awami Conference, CPI (M), PDF, Peoples Conference, and J&K Peoples Movement (led by former bureaucrat turned politician, Dr Shah Faesal, were invited.
“The agenda for the meeting is to discuss the future strategy on how to reclaim the special status of J&K,” said one of the invited executives.
However, the Kashmiri police and other paramilitary forces stepped up their deployment around the residences of political leaders before August 5.
A curfew had been imposed from the beginning of August last year after the center abandoned the special status of J&K under Article 370 of the Constitution and divided the state into two territories of the ‘Union, the other being Ladakh.
Hundreds of political leaders had been detained or arrested. Many leaders remain under house arrest, including former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
