Srinagar: Restrictions imposed for the past two days as a precautionary measure in many areas in Kashmir valley — including downtown and Shehar-e-Khas (SeK) in Srinagar — were on Sunday lifted after improvement in the situation.
Curfew-like restrictions were imposed in many areas in Srinagar and south Kashmir following massive protests and clashes triggered by killing of Ansar Gazwatul Hind chief Zakir Musa in a 12-hour-long encounter with security forces in Pulwama district on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, low speed mobile internet has been restored in majority areas in the valley, where train services resumed on Sunday after remaining suspended for two days. However, high speed internet remained barred in the valley for security reasons.
A police official said that there were no restrictions in any part of the valley though security forces remained deployed in strength in some sensitive areas to maintain law and order.
All gates of historic Jamia Masjid — stronghold of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq — which remained locked for the past two days, were opened for devotees on Sunday. Security forces and state police personnel, who were deployed in the Jamia market and nearby areas to prevent protests, have also been withdrawn. Friday prayers could not be offered in the historic mosque for two successive weeks in the holy month of Ramazan.
All roadblocks, including barbed wire, have been lifted on main Nallahmar road, where traffic was plying normally and shops and business establishments reopened.
Similarly, life was normal after restrictions were lifted in other areas of the SeK and downtown.
Meanwhile, restrictions imposed for the past two days in Tral, Anantnag and some other towns and tehsil headquarters in south Kashmir, were also withdrawn on Sunday morning. All the roadblocks have been removed from the roads in these areas though security forces remained deployed in sensitive areas to maintain law and order.
However, locals alleged that several dozen youth were arrested by security forces in different raids in south Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag.
Musa was killed in a 12-hour-long encounter with security forces at Tral in south Kashmir district of Pulwama, triggering spontaneous protests and clashes across the valley, including many areas in Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag and Awantipora.
Fearing further law and order problem, the authorities imposed curfew in Srinagar and restrictions in many areas in south Kashmir. The curfew and restrictions continued on Saturday in view of a strike called by hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani against the killing of Musa.
