Ultras’ memorial without photos may come up in the town
The standoff between the administration and local residents in Pulwama district appears to be over as the traders in the town have agreed to end the strike and open the markets from Thursday.
“The standoff is over. They (traders) have agreed to open the shops,” said Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Samoon, who had a late evening meeting with local traders and Auqaf Committee members of Pulwama town. Samoon, however, did not specify what agreement had been reached with the local traders and the Auqaf Committee.
Sources said the locals have watered down their demands and agreed to install a sign board with just Martyrs’ Memorial written on it besides some Urdu couplets. However, the traders and Auqaf members were not available for comments. Earlier, the demand was for a sign board with pictures of the slain militants on it.
The breakthrough comes even as hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani had given a call for protests after Friday prayers to support the demand for a memorial. Moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too favoured the installation of the memorial to militants.
Terming the installation of a memorial by the Pulwama people a “genuine demand”, Mirwaiz Farooq today said that having a memorial to the killed is “people’s right” and termed the restricts imposed by the district administration to prevent its installation as “undemocratic.”
The stalemate began about two weeks ago when the district administration and the police refused to permit local youth to install a memorial board with pictures of slain militants at a public park in the town.
