Srinagar: The authorities closed the Srinagar-Jammu highway for traffic on Tuesday, in view of solidarity march towards Tral – the home town of two slain militants, who were recently killed in a gun battle.
The resistance leadership had asked people to reach Tral in Pulwama district on Tuesday to pay tributes to Sabzar Ahmad Bhat and his aide Faizan Muzaffar Bhat who died fighting Indian armed forces in an encounter on Saturday in Saimoo village of Tral.
Hurriyat patriarch Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik had asked the people to reach Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district in large numbers to pay tributes to the slain militants.
“The Srinagar-Jammu Highway has been closed and no movement of any sort of traffic on either side is being allowed,” an official of the traffic department said.
He said the decision to close the nearly 300-km highway the only all-weather road connecting the Valley with the rest of the world was taken “in view of the prevailing situation as the roadway passes through south Kashmir”.
Mughal Road which passes through Shopian and is an alternate fair-weather roadway connecting Jammu with the Valley, has also been closed for traffic from Bafliaz towards Srinagar, the official said.
He said that Srinagar-bound vehicles on Kargil-Sonamarg road were also being restricted due to the prevailing circumstances.
