Somewhere in Kashmir....

Posters appeared in Srinagar giving hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani an ultimatum to review his agitation programme by October 31. Stonepelters were also slammed in the posters pasted by Jammu Kashmir Islami Ittehad, an unknown outfit. “The Hurriyat should announce who is calling the shots in Kashmir. Who should we listen to: Hurriyat or stone-pelters?” If the Hurriyat failed to respond by Sunday, the situation in Kashmir will take a new turn from November 1, the posters warned. “And, Hurriyat will be solely responsible for it,” the posters read. The posters were found pasted at Residency Road and adjoining areas in the commercial hub of Srinagar criticizing Geelani’s shutdown calls. This comes at a time when Kashmir is looking for a breather from four months of shutdowns and curfews.
Ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit this week, Geelani has called for a tenday shutdown. But he is already preparing to leave for his annual sojourn in Delhi to avoid the harsh Kashmir winter. CM Omar Abdullah, too, has already shifted to Jammu as part of the annual darbar move. The posters claimed that people in Kashmir have begun distancing themselves from protests due to the acts of a few stone-pelters. Who are benefiting from shutdowns, they asked. “It has only caused us economical destruction, unemployment and ruin our future. So, we are moving away from the Tehreek (movement)?” they said.