Lockdown in J&K Valley, mobile Internet suspended

The security forces in riot gear are enforcing a lockdown in Srinagar and other major towns of the Kashmir Valley as part of tough measures to contain widespread protests and violence triggered by the killing of Hizb-ulMujahedin commander Subzar Ahmed Bhat in the Tral area of southern Pulwama district on Saturday.

Elsewhere in the Valley life was brought to a standstill due to a two-day strike from Sunday called by an alliance of top separatist leaders.

Mobile Internet services were again suspended in the Valley, and outgoing calls barred on prepaid numbers as a precautionary measure.

PAGE 2: No talk until stone-pelting ends: Shah

Ruling out dialogue on the Kashmir issue until stone-pelting ends, BJP president Amit Shah said the Modi government will talk to everyone once violence ends.

Kashmir has been witnessing clashes between security forces and stonepelting mobs in the past few months.

Playing down the ongoing situation in the Valley, Mr Shah said the region has seen such “hot situation” in stretches of six, eight or 12 months earlier as well, before security forces controlled it.

“We have said that we will start dialogue once stone-pelting stops. As long as there is stone pelting, there cannot be a dialogue. We can’t give them flower if they pelt stones. They will have to understand it,” Mr Shah told a news agency. When asked if the government will speak to the Hurriyat (separatists) too, as was done by the previous NDA government, Mr Shah said, “Once violence ends and an atmosphere of dialogue is created,

As long as there is stone pelting, there cannot be a dialogue. We can’t give them (Kashmiri people) flower if they pelt stones. They will have to understand it.

— Amit Shah, BJP chief

we will talk to every one.” Mr Shah said one can’t assess the situation in Kashmir by “picking one stretch of six months” and one has to see the entire period from 1989 to May 2017.

The BJP chief also expressed satisfaction in the way the PDP-BJP government is functioning.

He said the state government has done very good work on developing infrastructure and succeeded in bringing development to far-flung areas, which have been connected in a strategic way.

Mr Shah said for the first time, Jammu and Ladakh, two other regions in the state besides Kashmir, believe that they have got “justice”.