The separatists have called off a sustained protest campaign in Kashmir that nearly paralyzed the normal life for around five months. On Wednesday, “Joint Resistance Group”-a loose coalition of three prominent separatist leaders—Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, announced that there would be no shutdown except for Fridays and Saturdays.
The trio is spearheading a protest campaign since mid-July when massive public protests erupted in Kashmir following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani. The separatists were issuing weekly protest calendars, which were followed by the people for most of the time. However, during past more than a month’s time, the shutdown calls had lost efficacy.
“Now it is time to consolidate our gains and build upon them in order to move ahead further. In this regard the leadership feels that a long term sustainable strategy based on proactive initiatives, programs and sustainable modes of protest with maximum public participation in their creation and implementation and minimum costs for the people, is the way forward,” the three leaders said in a statement.
They said the separatist leadership was working on a plan for transition from weekly protest calendars to a long term plan of programmes and initiatives.