Normalcy returns to Kashmir Valley after restrictions withdrawn

Life returned to normal in Kashmir on Sunday after two days of restrictions and shutdown in the wake of the killing of Zakir Musa — the head of an Al-Qaeda affiliate in the valley — in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district, officials said.

They said there were no restrictions in place in any part ofthe valley on Sunday.

   

“Normalcy has returned to the valley as there is no striketoday and no restrictions have been imposed anywhere,” an official said.

Officials said shops, fuel stations and other businessestablishments re-opened this morning while public transport also operatednormally.

The weekly flea market on the TRC Chowk-Batamaloo axisthrough the Lal Chowk city centre was also open, they said.

Musa, the so-called head of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, waskilled in an encounter with security forces at Dadsara village of Tral in thesouth Kashmir’s Pulwama district Friday after forces launched a searchoperation on late Thursday evening following specific information about thepresence of militants there.

Fearing law and order problems, authorities had imposedcurfew in parts of Kashmir Valley as a precautionary measure on Friday. Thecurfew continued on Saturday in view of a strike called by the HurriyatConference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani against the killing of Musa and acivilian, Zahoor Ahmad, a resident of Naira Pulwama – by unidentified gunmen onThursday.

Mobile internet was also suspended on Thursday night acrossthe valley, but the low-speed service was restored in most parts on Saturdayevening following improvement in the situation.         

The high-speed mobile internet service continued to remainbarred.

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