Schools, shops and offices reopened in held Kashmir on Saturday after being shut by weeks of anti-India protests but more closures loomed in the restive region. The reopening came after calls by APHC to resume "normal" life for a day that sent shoppers flooding into the streets to stockpile supplies ahead of a general strike set for Sunday and more protests in coming days.
The rush of shoppers created traffic jams in occupied Srinagar. The scenic Himalayan region has been wracked by demonstrations since June 11 when security forces were accused of killing a 17-year-old teenage boy. Since then, another 14 protesters and bystanders - many of them youngsters - have been killed. As violence spread, authorities slapped strict curfews on most of the region, arrested activists and ordered the army into the streets to stage show-of-strength flag marches.
Residents were told to resume "their normal work on Saturday" and most schools, colleges, shops and businesses reopened, returning an air of normalcy to occupied Srinagar after curfews had left its streets deserted. "I had no money left. But Allah is great, I've been doing great business since the morning," said shopkeeper Abdul Gani, 78, who sells groceries and cigarettes.
But there have been calls for more action, with a general strike set for Sunday. Newspapers were inundated with phone calls from residents wanting to know the latest "protest calendar". Many residents were stockpiling to prepare themselves for more shutdowns ahead and queued at gas stations for motor fuel. "I've purchased fresh vegetables and milk to last at least for 10 more days," said occupied Srinagar resident, Abdul Qayoom, a government engineer.
Meanwhile, an army officer and a soldier were injured Saturday in an ongoing gunbattle with heavily armed militants in the southern Poonch district, an army spokesman said. They were the latest casualties in a fight that has been raging since late Tuesday that has also left an army major and two militants dead and nine soldiers injured, including a colonel, who was the commanding officer. The anti-India insurgency has claimed an estimated 47,000 lives.