A curfew imposed in Occupied Kashmir after the execution of Afzal Guru convicted over a 2001 attack on parliament was lifted Saturday but a general strike against the hanging paralysed the region. Authorities declared the curfew in the Indian held region last weekend, shut down mobile Internet services and blocked newspapers to contain unrest over the execution of Guru.
But as the curfew was lifted, separatist groups opposed to Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region announced a two-day general strike that closed businesses, schools and banks and kept public transport off roads. "The curfew has been lifted from all the areas and whatever restrictions you may see now are because of the shutdown," said Shiv Murari Sahai, a senior police official, told AFP in Occupied Kashmir's main city Srinagar.
Much of Occupied Kashmir remained under tight security with thousands of police and paramilitary forces deployed in riot gear. Three people died during the week as demonstrators defied the curfew, including a teenaged boy shot by Indian security forces.