Joint Hurriyat calls for shutdown on Aug 15

Srinagar, Aug 11: Joint Hurriyat Leadership has appealed for a complete shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir on August 15. The Joint Hurriyat comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin while calling for the shutdown appealed to the people to observe August 15 as “black day”. They said that an atmosphere of fear has been created in Kashmir through frisking and harassment of people at the checkpoints established by the forces in the run-up to August 15. “On August 15 Joint Hurriyat leadership will be either caged or placed in various jails in a bid to crush the dissent and entire valley will be turned into a military fortress for the day and people’s right to live too will be snatched,” the Joint Hurriyat said. The trio said that while on the one hand, entire Kashmir “has been converted into a battlefield with huge deployment of forces everywhere in run up to the August 15 and on the other”, deputy commissioners along with the respective municipalities are asking students of private and government schools and their parents and government employees to attend August 15 function in their respective areas which reflects the “frustration” on part of the State administration. “Issuing diktats and forcibly asking students and government employees to attend August 15 function is ample proof that Delhi and its local supporters have failed in Kashmir despite unleashing ultimate repression,” the Joint Hurriyat said.