Army on JRL shutdown call: ​Will foil ‘evil attempts'

As separatist leaders in Kashmir have called people to march towards Army’s 15-Corps headquarters in Srinagar on Monday, the army on Sunday vowed that it would foil “evil attempts of militant-separatist-Pakistan nexus to pit civilian population against Security Forces.”

Separatists have called for a three-day shutdown and a march to Army’s 15-Corps headquarters in Badamibagh, here, on Monday to protest against the killings in Sirnoo area in Pulwama, where seven civilians, including a teenager were killed, and more than 20 others wounded when security forces fired live ammunition on protesters who thronged the site of the encounter in large numbers.

The ‘Joint Resistance Leadership’ (JRL) of separatists comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik in a statement alleged, “Government of India (GoI) is only interested in our territory and forcibly holding it while systematically eliminating the people.”

“That is why leadership has asked the GoI to do that as we march towards their army headquarters in Badami Bagh on Monday. Or else, stop the killings and massacres and resolve the dispute and save human lives,” they said.

However, the army on Sunday asked people not to march towards 15 corps headquarters. “Indian Army is always with the people of Kashmir and would foil all such evil attempts of militant-separatist-Pakistan nexus to pit the civilian population against the Security Forces,” a defence spokesperson said.

“The public is once again advised not to pay heed to this misleading call by JRL,” he said and added the army along with all the security agencies and the civil administration is “fighting militancy and Proxy War, sponsored by Pakistan and its proxies in Kashmir.”

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On civilian killings, the spokesperson said the security forces make every attempt to avoid any loss of civilian lives in “cross-fire and minimise collateral damage to property.”

Meanwhile, normal life remained crippled in Kashmir valley on Saturday due to restrictions imposed by the government and strike call by separatists against the killings.

Authorities had imposed restrictions in volatile areas of old city Srinagar, Pulwama and other sensitive districts of the Valley to thwart protests. Intra-Kashmir train services remained suspended due to the apprehension of fresh violence. All examinations scheduled on Monday were postponed by various universities in the Valley.

Officials said no incident of fresh violence was reported on Monday. However, they said Pulwama and neighbouring districts of Kulgam and Shopian remained on edge as funeral prayers in absentia for slain militants and civilians were organised at several places in south Kashmir. Following the fresh civilian killings, the Valley has been on edge.