By IANS,
Srinagar : Hundreds of security personnel were deployed here Monday as leaders of the separatist Hurriyat Conference started marching to the UN office in small groups and presenting memorandums seeking a permanent resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Former militant and senior Hurriyat leader Javed Ahmed Mir was the first to reach the UN office and present a memorandum seeking independence of Kashmir from India and revocation of “draconian laws giving special powers to armed forces in Kashmir”.
Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said: “Our memorandum seeks UN intervention for the permanent resolution of Kashmir issue in the wake of the economic blockade imposed on the valley.”
“We have made elaborate security arrangements to disallow large gathering around the United Nations Military Observes’ Group (UNMOG) in Srinagar,” said a police official.
Sources told IANS that the authorities were in two minds till late Sunday on whether to impose a curfew to bar Hurriyat supporters from gathering at a place that is dotted by “very sensitive offices and installations which could become the targets of miscreants if the rally was allowed”.
However, the government later decided to allow the Hurriyat leaders to present memorandums from each constituent group of the separatist conglomerate, while requesting them to keep the crowds small, worried that a large group could lead to fresh clashes with security forces.
A large number of police and paramilitary troopers was in place in the uptown areas of Srinagar behind barricades and razor-fitted concertina wires to prevent crowds from going beyond the Tourist Reception Centre, about 200 metres from the UN office.
All the entry points to the UN office were blocked and manned by hundreds of security forces.
The strong presence of security forces led to fears that trouble may be in the offing if Hurriyat supporters gather in large numbers.
But, according to sources, the government has instructed security personnel to use maximum restraint and minimise use of force in case the gathering turns rowdy.
The authorities have also instructed the police not to use bullets to disperse crowds.