15 Day ‘Relaxed’ Shutdown calendar ends today

Editor

While the five full-day relaxation period under the separatist calendar ends tomorrow, it will also be the end of the first fortnight of relaxed calendar after weekly shutdowns, marking the six-months of unrest in the Kashmir valley.
The separatists are yet to come out with the proposed “plan for transition from weekly calendars” to “a long-term plan of programmes and initiatives” as the New Year starts after the ongoing schedule ends.
Normal life activities resumed for five days each during the past two weeks, something which was not seen since the trouble started in the Valley following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani and two of his associates in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8.
The killing of the Hizbul Mujahideen’s poster boy triggered the longest-ever protest in the Valley at least during the past over two decades of militancy.
The militant killing led clashes between protesters and security forces resulting in the death of at least 89 persons, including two J&K Policemen, and injuries to over 12,000 others. The unrest also hit hard the region’s economy.
The fortnight from December 16 to 31 included 10 days of normal life activities and six days of shutdown on Fridays and Saturdays, as per the calendar issued jointly by the separatist leaders, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik.
Soon after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti took over in April this year, the Valley was brewing up with a sense of unrest over the issues of separate colonies for migrant Kashmiri Pandits and Sainik Colony.

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