Strike disrupts normal life in Kashmir Valley

Normal life was disrupted in the Kashmir Valley on Thursday due to a strike called by the hardline Hurriyat Conference to protest against detention of youth and separatist leaders who campaigned for a boycott of the Lok Sabha elections.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions were shut, while government offices and banks recorded thin attendance, officials said. Public transport was off the roads. However, private cars, cabs and auto-rickshaws were plying normally. The officials said there are similar reports of shutdown from other districts of the Valley.

Geelani had set a May 13 deadline for the administration to release youth detained during the Parliamentary elections across the Valley. He had threatened to issue a protest programme if the government does not release them. "If the state administration does not release the youth and revoke Public Safety Act against pro-freedom leaders and youth, then we will be forced to announce further protest programme after proper deliberations," he had said.