Authorities imposed restrictions in several downtown localities early Saturday, as separatists called bandh against the beef ban hit life in Srinagar and elsewhere.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday created ripples as he led a five-member delegation of civil society members to meet separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a bid to break the three-month impasse in Kashmir triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.
Curfew-like restrictions were imposed in large parts of Srinagar on Saturday to foil Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's rally to commemorate his father's death anniversary.
"There is a need for stage-wise progress in the process and the first step would be to withdraw all army and paramilitary troops from the state," he said.
Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference, and hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Tuesday described the Narendra Modi government's decision to call off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan as an unfortunate 'knee-jerk reaction'.
Akbar said around 30 members belonging to various constituents of the Geelani's faction have been invited by the Pakistan High Commission. They include Geelani, Ashraf Sehrai, Shabir Shah and Nayeem Khan.
Asserting that a change of guard in Jammu and Kashmir does not mean an 'end' to the vexed Kashmir issue, the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference on Monday demanded that the matter be resolved politically. Referring to National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah taking oath as the state's chief mMinister, Mirwaiz said, "He is young and should keep in mind aspirations of the valley's youth, pursue pro-people agenda and understand ground realities."
Protests rocked parts of Kashmir Valley including Srinagar on Saturday where Pakistan and Islamic State flags were yet again displayed by masked youths after Eid prayers.
Three senior separatist leaders along with pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik and their 13 supporters were detained by the state police on Wednesday as they tried to march towards Lal Chowk to hoist the party flag on clock tower.
"We intend to talk to individuals and groups who want peace and normalcy in Kashmir Valley," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said before the departure of delegation comprising 30 members from 20 parties.
Making a fresh demand for a result-oriented dialogue, the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front on Monday demanded setting up of Kashmir committees in India and Pakistan to find an everlasting solution to the Kashmir issue.
The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference today rejected Centre's latest initiative on Kashmir, saying it was 'disappointing' as it reflected lack of willingness to meet the aspirations of the people.
He said India was "scared" of taking any bold initiative while Pakistan had shown "great flexibility" vis-a-vis the resolution of the vexed Kashmir issue.
"What do they want us to do? They label us as a threat to peace and cage, confine and gag us. So how can we be of help?" said Mirwaiz.
Three people were killed and several others, including security personnel, injured in stone-pelting and firing on Thursday when a mob attacked a camp of the Border Security Force in Kashmir's Ramban district over alleged high-handedness by a patrolling party.
Curfew-like-restrictions were imposed in the old city of Srinagar and some uptown areas to foil protests and a sit-in at the historic Jamia mosque after the Friday prayers.
Sajjad is the younger son of Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone who was assassinated on May 21, 2002, by militants
Lashing out at the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party for opposing the proposed meeting of separatist leaders with the Pakistan high commissioner, both moderate and hardline factions of the Hurriyat Conference on Monday said their reaction was unwarranted and demonstrated political immaturity.
Major opposition political parties and separatists groups in J&K on Wednesday slammed the move of the government to create separate townships for Kashmiri pandit migrants.
In a significant move, separatists have decided to hold talks with Kashmiri Pandit migrants to discuss their return to the Valley.
Authorities clamped strict restrictions in Srinagar and north Kashmir's Sopore town to foil a separatist march on Friday.
J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has issued directions to the state home department to step up investigations and provide secure environment to all civilians.
For the first time in 25 years since the start of militancy in Kashmir, the separatists have not called for a general strike on Martyrs' Day on Monday in view of the fasting month of Ramzan.
Pro-Pakistan leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's death has brought to an end a chapter of anti-India and separatist politics in Kashmir.
The Indian Army on Tuesday said that it was moving ahead with 'unprecedented speed to initiate investigation' in the Chattergam firing incident in which two youth were killed and two others critically wounded on Monday evening.
The entry to the graveyard inside Naqshband sahib Shrine in Khawaja Bazaar near Nowhatta was sealed and security forces were deployed around the area to prevent anyone going inside, officials said.
Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi on Wednesday came in for praise from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other leaders from the state for inviting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing in ceremony on May 26.
Curfew was imposed in the Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley a day after four people were killed and 40 others wounded in security force firing at Gool in Ramban district of Jammu region.
Top Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, were on Thursday put under house arrest only to be released within hours in actions that were linked to their proposed meeting with Pakistani National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz in Delhi on Sunday.
From a Pakistan-trained militant to one of the prominent separatist faces in Kashmir, life has come a full circle for chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Yasin Malik, who was in limelight for varied reasons over the past three decades of turmoil in the erstwhile restive border state.
From the necessity of talking to Hurriyat separatists to appointing a tehsildar, Dineshwar Sharma heard it all during his visit to the valley
Sayeed said he was disappointed over the abrupt cancellation of talks but hoped that break would be "temporary".
Brushing aside the strong opposition to it from separatist leaders, religious heads and some civil society groups, authorities have decided to go ahead with the high profile Zubin Mehta concert in Srinagar on September 7.
An invitation by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit to all the Kashmiri separatist leaders "for consultations" in Delhi ahead of Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks has touched off a controversy with the Bharatiya Janata Party calling it "most unfortunate" and "old tactics".
'Many people thought that a Hindu nationalist party's government would take bold steps vis-a-vis Kashmir. But sadly their approach has been led by military and security priorities.' 'We would suggest to India that she initiate the dialogue following the Vajpayee model. That is the way forward. Otherwise, there is a looming threat. We are seeing educated youth joining militancy.'
A recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
While they were invited with protests at Geelani's home, they were turned away by Yasin Malik, who was lodged in jail.
It is an ode to his politics that believed in building bridges across social or political divides that he was one of the most liked state leaders among the upper castes even as he drew his support mostly from Dalits, a group which at times shared antagonistic relations with the more prosperous communities due to a number of social and political reasons.
A teenager was shot dead by security forces in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday during a strike called by hardline Hurriyat Conference against the recent killing of two youths in an army operation in Tral, prompting the authorities to register a murder case and order a magisterial probe.
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