A bandh called by the Hurriyat Conference in Kashmir Valley on Tuesday against the arrest of seven separatist leaders, including son-in-law of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, by the Nation Investigation Agency (NIA), received a mixed response. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed the people of Kashmir for “defying the strike call”.
The separatist leaders were sent to 10 days NIA custody by a Delhi court in terror funding case on Tuesday.
Public transport at many places was functioning normally and shops were also open in various areas of Srinagar and other towns. However, schools and colleges remained shut and attendance in the government offices remained thin.
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The call for strike was given by the three Hurriyat leaders -- Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik.
On Monday, the NIA arrested Altaf Ahmad Shah, son-in-law of Syed Ali Geelani, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Peer Saifullah, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam. The NIA also arrested Nayeem Khan and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate for “funding terror.” The Hurriyat, however, didn’t name Khan and Dar in its “statement of protest” against the arrests.
The NIA started investigation against Khan after a TV sting in which Khan was seen acknowledging receiving money from Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba to “create chaos” in Kashmir.
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Even though Khan claimed the sting was doctored, the Hurriyat Conference suspended him from the party. Later, the NIA registered a case against Khan and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leader Gazi Javed Baba and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (R) chairman Farooq Ahmed Dar. The NIA on May 30 carried out raids across Kashmir Valley and claimed it has recovered account books and Rs 2 crore cash.
Hurriyat Conference moderate faction chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called the NIA arrests as a drama. He said the drama was enacted by the government to malign people’s political movement and leadership, and to mislead the people of India. “These are lies and propaganda,” Mirwaiz said.
In the old city, the police had imposed restrictions in response to the shutdown call.
The three leaders, Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik who are also known as Joint Resistance Leadership, described the arrests as revengeful, arbitrary and illegal.
BJP spokesman Khalid Jehangir said: “The people of Kashmir, by defying the strike call, have proved that they believe in progress and have no interest in the dirty politics being played by Hurriyat leaders.”
He added: “Today’s strike not evoking any response has vindicated the stand of the investigating agencies that strikes and stone-pelting are not spontaneous and these are all orchestrated and organized.”
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Who is Altaf Ahmad Shah?
Altaf Ahmad Shah is a post graduate from the University of Kashmir and is married in 1986. He is the son-in-law of Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani.
He was running a hosiery shop at Lal Chowk called Fantoosh. According to the police, he was operating the shop much before the insurgency erupted in the Valley in 1990.
He was associated with Islami Jamiat-Tulba, a student wing of the Jamaat Islami and later, campaigned for Muslim United Front candidates in 1987 elections. After 1993, when the Hurriyat Conference was formed Altaf joined it.
He remained one of the key members of the Hurriyat Conference led by Geelani. In 2004 he was wounded after unknown gunmen fired at him. He was running Hurriyat’s publishing division. He has been booked many times under Public Safety Act (PSA).
