Srinagar: Expressing serious concern over frequent imposition of curfew-like restrictions in downtown and Shehar-e-Khas (SeK) in this summer capital, the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) alleged that it was a part of a conspiracy to kill the business activities there.
“Trader community is being pushed to streets against choking of their space to life and livelihood,” KTMF President Haji Muhammad Yasin Khan said. Mr Khan, who also heads the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), said the business activities in the old city have come to a grinding halt due to these uncalled for and undeclared curfews.
“Basically every civilised voice knows that curfew is frequently imposed in SeK and downtown, but the state government wants to name it ‘restrictions’ so as to give a rosy picture,” Mr Khan alleged. Asking the government to give the old city people their right to live without siege, he said if the curfew is not lifted for good, the traders will be left with no options but to take to streets for agitation. “Enough is enough. The heart of Kashmir cannot be taken for granted by this government. Kashmir is a political issue which cannot be resolved through frequent curfews in old city,” he added.
