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Stranded Valley-bound Kashmiris appeal governor to help send them back

Hindustan Times, Jammu | By
Feb 18, 2019 02:33 PM IST

Authorities clamped the curfew after violence was reported from Gujjar Nagar and other Muslim-dominated pockets of Jammu during a massive anti-Pakistan protest against the Pulwama attack.

Hundreds of Kashmiris stranded in a Muslim-dominated area of Jammu have appealed to the governor to send them back to the Valley as soon as possible amid a curfew in the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir following last week’s attack in Pulwama.

Though the administration sent more than 700 of them in a convoy under police protection from Mecca Masjid in Bhatindi around 11pm on Saturday towards Srinagar, their number has been swelling as Kashmiris from other parts of the country have poured into the mosque following a backlash at them after the Pulwama terror attack.

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Habibullah, a 71-year-old Budgam resident, said hundreds of Kashmiris from the Valley like him have been left stranded in Jammu city due to the closure of Jammu-Srinagar national highway for a week and also because of the curfew imposed in the aftermath of violent protests over the Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel on February 14, since Friday.

Authorities clamped the curfew after violence was reported from Gujjar Nagar and other Muslim-dominated pockets of Jammu during a massive anti-Pakistan protest against the Pulwama attack.

“Hundreds of Kashmiris from various parts of Valley have been left stranded here and we all want to go back to our homes. Late last night around 11pm, over 700 Kashmiris left in a convoy of SRTC buses and other vehicles under police protection towards Srinagar,” he said.

Also read: MHA asks states to ensure safety of Kashmiris, CRPF shows the way

Auqaf along with other mosque committees and locals have been providing food and shelter to the stranded Kashmiri passengers.

Habibullah said that “some mischievous elements” deliberately created the problem. “Tell me, a common Kashmiri or a Dogra has to earn a two square meal for his children or indulge in violence?” he asked.

He said that following the Pulwama attack, Kashmiris from other parts of the country continued to pour into Mecca Masjid. “They are coming back from other parts of the country and they are reporting at Mecca Mosque and other camps in Bhatindi,” he said.

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather link Kashmir has with the rest of the country, remained closed due to heavy snowfall and landslides from February 5 to 11. The highway was restored partially on February 12 for stranded vehicles.

And, after the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, Kashmiris including students were targeted in various parts of the country and as a result, they all started reaching curfew-bound Jammu.

Last Friday, when violence broke out in Gujjar Nagar area of the walled city, a Hindu hotel owner resisted attackers and saved around 20 Kashmiri students, who had rented rooms on its second floor.

Also read: Arson, stone pelting by mobs in Jammu, curfew extended

“After appearing in GATE exam we went to Delhi where came across news of Pulwama attack. We came back to Jammu and checked into Hotel Star near the bus stand. The next morning on February 15 some mischievous were out on the street, who smashed window panes on the first floor and came to know about us,” Arif Hussain, one of the students at the hotel, said.

“They tried to storm the second floor. They also beat up the Hindu hotel owner but he didn’t allow them to enter the second floor and hence saved us.”

On Sunday, there were minor incidents of stone pelting at Janipur. Around 150 people have already been detained under preventive custody to maintain law and order, including a Kashmiri couple.

The curfew is likely to be relaxed for an hour or two on Monday as authorities said the situation in the city was peaceful and under control.

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