The shutdown called by Joint Resistance Leadership against the arrest of seven separatist leaders by India’s National Investigating Agency evoked a mixed response here in Kashmir Valley on Tuesday. Old Srinagar city remained shut due to restrictions imposed by authorities while in uptown barring city centre Lal Chowk majority of the shops were seen open while if not massive, enough movement of private transport plied on the roads.Barring educational institutions, government offices and bank institutions remained open. Witnesses said that majority of the shops remained open in uptown areas of Srinagar city including Jawahar Nagar, Wazir Bagh, Sir Syed Market Gogji Bagh, Raj Bagh, Ram Bagh, Sanat Nagar, Mehjoor Nagar, Sonwar, Dalgate and other areas of the city. Slop sellers and vendors were seen doing normal business in Batamaloo, Amira Kadal, Lal Ded Road while vendors at Polo View had occupied foot paths to sell their merchandize.However, all shops and business establishments remained shut in the city centre Lal Chowk. Heavy security deployment was seen in different parts of Srinagar city while the movement of the people was restricted in multiple areas of old city. Partial shutdown was observed in other parts of Kashmir.Usually shutdowns in Kashmir are always a success but today the impact was not massive,” said a shopkeeper at Jahangir Chowk to CNS.
Separatist leaders, Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, who had called for the shutdown were placed under house arrest in Srinagar, while Muhammad Yasin Malik was lodged in the Srinagar Central Jail.Partial shutdown was observed in other parts of Kashmir as well. Movement of transport was observed in every part of Valley.Pertinently, the protest shutdown was called after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested seven Hurriyat leaders in the “funding” case. The arrested include Altaf Ahmad Shah, son-in-law of Geelani, and Ayaz Akbar, spokesman of the Geelani-led Hurriyat group, and Peer Saifullah, Personal secretary of Geelani. The others include Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shahid-ul-Islam, close aide of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mehrajuddin Kalwal.Meanwhile, the arrested Hurriyat leaders were on Tuesday produced in Patiala House Court in New Delhi for their alleged involvement in “funding case”, reports said.NIA has reportedly sought 10 days remand for all the seven accused for alleged illegal money laundering in Jammu and Kashmir. NIA had initiated a preliminary inquiry (PE) against pro-freedom leaders after Nayeem Khan in a TV sting operation “confessed” that Hurriyat leaders have been receiving funds for “subversive activities” in the Kashmir Valley. (CNS)