Curfew Reimposed In J-K’s Kishtwar After Death Of Hurriyat Leader

Curfew was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar after prominent leader of banned Jamaat-e-Islami Ghulam Nabi Gundana passed away at a hospital in Punjab on Sunday after prolonged illness. He was also affiliated to the Hurriyat Conference. Gundana, who was a retired government teacher, had undergone a surgery and was spared arrest during a major crackdown on the JeI leadership on March 2.           

“The curfew was imposed in Kishtwar town as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in view of ‘Nimaz-e-Jinazah’ (a prayer before burial) of Gundana on Monday,” Deputy Commissioner Angrez Singh Rana told news agency PTI.

Soon after the news of Gundana’s death reached Kishtwar, the Jamia Masjid management announced a shutdown on Monday as a mark of respect

Gundana is survived by wife and five sons.

One of his sons had gone to Pakistan for arms training in the early 1990’s while another is jailed for his involvement in militant activities.

The life has remained affected in Kashmir since August 5 when India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, ending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Most shops and schools remain shut and public transport has gone off the roads in the Valley.

On Sunday, the officials said nearly two dozen terrorists are present in the city and its periphery and even openly threatening shopkeepers in some areas, raising serious concern in the security establishment.

However, security forces are taking all precautions to ensure that the terrorists do not use the situation to cause any flare-up as in the past incidents of stone pelting by youths have occurred during anti-militancy operations, they said.

At many places in Downtown Srinagar, the terrorists have been seen roaming freely and even warning shopkeepers to keep their shops shut and adhere to their diktats, the officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh did not rule out the possibility of presence of terrorists but said to claim that they are roaming freely “is an exaggeration”.