Strike called by separatists evokes little response in J&K

The strike called by separatists in Kashmir against the arrest of seven persons by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) evoked little response today and the day passed off peacefully.
"People have by and large ignored the strike call given by some separatist outfits. It reflects their desire to lead peaceful and normal lives," Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid told PTI.
Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik had called for a shutdown in Kashmir today to protest against the arrests carried out by the NIA in connection with its probe into hawala funding for subversive activities in the valley.

The authorities had to impose restrictions in parts of the city here as a precautionary measure.
"We are getting excellent cooperation from the people in our efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the valley. Today's events are one such example," Vaid said.
He said that despite the strike call, life went on as usual in most parts of the valley.

However, shops and business establishments were shut in a few areas.
Public transport was available in many areas of the city with even traffic jams reported from some parts.
Similar reports were received from other district headquarters of the valley with inter-district transport plying on some routes.

Government offices and banks functioned normally but private educational institutions were shut due to the strike.