Srinagar descends into confusion, panic

SRINAGAR: Kashmir’s summer capital was caught in a web of speculation, confusion and panic on Saturday following a slew of “urgent” measures taken by the central government, including massive deployment of additional paramilitary forces and a crackdown against pro-Pakistan organization Jamat-e-Islami.
The police refrained from giving specific reasons for the sudden action. However, with the Supreme Court hearing on a petition challenging Article 35A likely next week, the entire Valley was abuzz with speculation that the Centre was going to scrap the article through an ordinance.

Article 35A bars people from outside Jammu and Kashmir from buying or owning immovable property, settling permanently and also from becoming beneficiaries of state-sponsored schemes.
After detaining JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, the Union home ministry on Friday ordered the CRPF to “urgently” deploy 100 companies — CRPF 45, BSF 35, SSB 10 and ITBP 10 — in Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect. In its letter, the government, however, mentioned no specific reasons for the decision. In a J&K Police order, several BSF and ITBP companies were asked to take over “the static guard duties” of the CRPF companies.
Late night on Friday, police arrested dozens of Jamat leaders including its chief Dr Abdul Hamid Fayaz and all the office bearers. The Jamaat leaders were picked up from several places across the valley, including Anantnag, Pahalgam, Dialgam and Tral in south Kashmir.

On Saturday, clashes between locals and security forces were reported from Anantnag and Bandipora and some parts of Srinagar city. Separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called for a complete shutdown on Sunday to protest against “arbitrary” mass arrests, night raids, insecurity among people due to “state repression”, killings and censorship and any tampering with Article 35A.
Srinagar district magistrate announced the imposition of restrictions on the movement of people in several localities in old Srinagar city in the wake of shut down call given by the separatist leaders. Police also sent out an advisory to “all protected dignitaries” to curtail their movement.
J&K government also ordered all the public health chief medical officers to urgently procure drugs and other supplies in all the districts. The leave of all government employees and consultants was also cancelled. In two other orders, the government asked the public distributors to complete the sale of food-grains by the evening and ration fuel supplies and prevent hoarding.
Former chief minister Omar Abdullah in a tweet said, “People in the valley, especially the cities & towns, are taking everything said or done as a sign that some big trouble is just around the corner. People are hoarding food & fuel. Some government orders are adding to the sense of panic.”

While some officials in Srinagar said all the orders were routine, some said the measures were taken in connection with the upcoming parliamentary polls.
Jamat-e-Islami, which has long advocated Jammu and Kashmir’s separation from India and accession with Pakistan, in a statement, said that the arrest of its leaders was a “well-designed conspiracy to pave way for further uncertainty in the region.” Any attempt of eroding or tempering Article 35A is unacceptable to people of J&K, the Jamat said in its press statement. In a tweet, prominent separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, “such illegal and coercive measures against Kashmiri’s are futile and will not change realities on ground. Force and intimidation will only worsen the situation.”

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also tweeted in support of the arrested leaders, “Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters in J&K. Under what legal grounds are their arrests justified? You can imprison a person but not his ideas.”

Interestingly, People’s Conference president Sajad Lone, who has been accused of toeing the BJP line in Kashmir, criticized the government over the arrests. “Gov seems to be on an arrest spree. Just a word of caution. Large scale arrests took place in 1990. Leaders were ferried to Jodhpur and many jails across the country. Things worsened. This is a tried tested and failed model. Please desist from it. It won’t work. Things will worsen,” he tweeted.