Srinagar, Apr 07 : PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti today expressed her anger and asked people to come on the highway and defy the ban.

Defying the ban herself, Mehbooba in her cavalcade that included many black Scorpio cars said that Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris and its roads are for Kashmiris.

“People do not need permission to play on the roads. Government of India should stop these suppressive tactics. They are not an occupational force here but this ban will not be tolerated at all. I cannot see my people suffering like this. On the way I saw people young and old walking along the highway,” she said.

Mehbooba said that PDP will take the matter to the court. “PDP will not let this happen at any cost,” she said. (KNS)

Unknown persons on Sunday lobbed a grenade at a residence of senior National Conference leader Sakina Itoo, in southern region of Kashmir.

An official said that a grenade was lobbed at the residence of senior NC leader and its South Zone President, Skina itoo in Damhal Hanjipora in south Kashmir.

however, there were no reports of loss of life or any damage.

Meanwhile, police have taken the cognizance of the incident.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders on Sunday protested against the recently issued ban on the civilian traffic movement on Srinagar-Jammu highway, at Srinagar bypass near DPS Srinagar.

An eyewitness said that PDP leaders including Khurshid Aalam, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Waheed Para shouting anti-order and anti-governmental slogans have gathered at Srinagar Bypass, along with some supporters carrying banners demanding an end to the government order.

Pertinently, the history’s first bi-weekly highway lockdown started from wee hours of Sunday. An eyewitness said that there was no movement of civil traffic witnessed except the government forces convoy movement.

Peoples Conference (PC) chairman Sajad Gani Lone on Sunday said that the banning of civilian movement on highway is turning into humanitarian disaster and requested the Governor SP Malik to scrap the order.

“The highway ban is now turning into a humanitarian disaster.
Flooded will calls from across the state. People in dire need to travel in order to tend to their day to day needs of survival stuck in a state of helplessness. @jandkgovernor urgently needs to scrap the inhuman order,” Sajad Lone said on twitter.

The move has drawn flak from various sections of the society.

To facilitate the movement of security convoys for the parliamentary polls starting April 11, the government has banned civilian traffic twice a week (from 4 am to 5 pm on Sunday and Wednesday) on a 270-km stretch of the highway from Udhampur in Jammu to Baramulla in Kashmir.

The order shall remain in force till May 31.