Separatists called strike evokes little response

A general strike called by separatists, demanding return of bodies of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat, evoked little response in the Kashmir Valley today.
Public transport and private vehicles were plying normally in most parts of Srinagar, official sources said.
Though shops and business establishments in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and surrounding areas remained closed, rest of the city went on with business as usual, they said.
In other districts of the Kashmir Valley, the strike call by Majlis Mashawarat (Consultation Committee), an amalgamation of separatist groups, evoked a mixed response.

Government offices and banks remained open but educational institutions remained closed.
The Majlis, which has both factions of Hurriyat, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, Kashmir Bar Association and Dukhtaran-e-Millat as constituents, had called for a complete shutdown in the Valley when it issued a weekly protest calendar on Sunday.
The Majlis was formed in the wake of Guru's execution inside Tihar Jail on February 9. The main demand of the Majlis is to seek return of mortal remains of Guru and Bhat.
While Guru was hanged on February 9, Bhat was hanged and buried inside the Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984 after he was convicted of murdering a police officer.