SRINAGAR: A spontaneous shutdown was observed in north Kashmir’s Pattan and Palhallan areas to mourn the killing of a local militant.
Thousands of people participated in the funeral of the Shabir Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Palhallan village, who was killed in an encounter with security forces at Tarzoo near Sopore town on Thursday.
Witnesses told Freepress that shops and business establishments in Pattan and Palhallan were closed.
The funeral gathering was telephonically addressed by senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who heads the hardline faction of separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference.
Geelani urged people to continue their support to the resistance movement and “not fall prey to the petty jobs that the government is offering.”
“People should always bear in mind the sacrifices rendered by the martyrs and not sell their conscience for petty things like government jobs. We should not forget the blood of our martyrs and keep pursuing our goal,” Geelani said, according to a local news agency.
There was no major violence as police and paramilitaries had been deployed in strength. Late in the evening, clashes erupted between the police and paramilitaries and angry youth who hurled stones at them.
Unconfirmed reports say the youth also torched a private vehicle. The owner of the vehicle allegedly worked as a contractor for the army.
