SRINAGAR: A spontaneous shutdown was observed in north Kashmir’s Pattan and Palhallan areas on Wednesday to mourn two local militants, killed in a gunfight with security forces.
Shops and business establishments are closed.
A large number of people participated in the funeral of the Aqib Rashid Sofi alias Yaqub and Bilal Ahmed Bhat of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group.
Both were residents of Palhallan in Baramulla district. They were killed late on Tuesday evening in a gunfight with the army and police in Goshbug village.
A local news agency, CNS, reports that violent clashes between protestors and paramilitaries erupted near Pandav-Park and Labour Office, Pattan.
Violence, that has killed tens of thousands of people in Kashmir, has come down significantly in the past ten years.
However authorities say there might be a fresh escalation in violence in the coming months.
Reports suggest that militant groups in the valley have been making fresh recruitment and have also carried out many daring attacks on security forces this year.
Meanwhile Hizul supremo and United Jihad Council Chairman, Syed Salahuddin paid rich tributes to these slain militants.
He told CNS that “martyrdom of these freedom fighters amply proves the fact that every Mujahid of Hizb is committed to Kashmir cause and is ready to sacrifice their precious lives to achieve noble cause.”
