New Delhi:
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat will visit Srinagar on Friday to review the security situation and preparedness of security forces to deal with the situation in Kashmir valley. This will be Rawat’s first visit after the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand in Kashmir, normal life remained disrupted across the Valley for the 25th consecutive day on Thursday, with markets closed and public transport off the roads. However, some private vehicles could be seen plying in many parts of the city while some roadside vendors also plied their trade, officials said.
The efforts of the state government to open schools up to high school level have not borne fruit as parents continued to keep the children at home due to apprehensions about their safety. Government offices are open but attendance in many offices was thin due to lack of public transport, the officials said, adding the offices at district headquarters registered normal attendance.
While landline telephony services have resumed in many parts of the valley, mobile telephone services and all Internet services continue to remain suspended since 5 August after the Centre’s move to abrogate Article 370, that provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the state into two union territories.
Most of the top level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders including three former chief ministers—Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti—have also been either detained or placed under house arrest.
