Hurriyat cancels plan to hold protest outside army camps

The hardline Hurriyat Conference, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, today dropped its plans to hold protest outside army camps in Kashmir valley.

"We have made changes in the schedule for protest on September 21," Geelani said in a statement released after a meeting of Majlis-e-Shoura (Advisory Council) of the Hurriyat in Srinagar.

He said instead of marching to army camps, the people should hold protest in all district headquarters in Jammu and Kashmir in support of complete demilitarisation.

Yesterday, a Hurriyat spokesperson said that the amalgam had called off the protest only for Geelani to say the programme was on.

The separatist leader had said such decisions could only be taken by the Advisory Council.

A defence spokesperson had appealed to people not to pay heed to the Hurriyat programme which, he said, sought to drag the army into the sphere of law and order.

He had also asked the Hurriyat to review its programme.