News
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Strike over killing of Muslim cleric shuts Kashmir
SRINAGAR: A strike called by separatists in insurgency-hit Indian Kashmir to protest against the killing of a leading Muslim cleric paralyzed much of the region on Saturday.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the explosion which killed Shah, a respected cleric and a staunch pro-independence supporter, at a mosque in Srinagar minutes before the start of Friday prayers.
Most shops, businesses, schools and offices in Srinagar and other major towns in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley were closed by the strike. Shah’s death sparked condemnation from separatist and pro-India politicians alike. Kashmir’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, joined throngs of people visiting the bereaved family.
“The killing of a veteran religious scholar is a great loss to the society and those responsible for the crime have exhibited their inhuman behaviour,” he said. Separatists described the killing as an ‘attack on the Kashmiri freedom movement’.
“It’s nothing but a conspiracy to deprive us of our religious and political leaders,” said leading cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
Yaseen Malik, head of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and Shah’s close friend, mourned his loss.
“The killing has broken our back. We will expose those responsible,” he said.
Shah was in favour of independence for Kashmir, unlike many armed militants who are seeking the territory’s union with Pakistan. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk