Srinagar: After the State Government on Wednesday banned civilian traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu highway for two days in a week, reactions to the statement have been from bad to worse only.
The order said, “To mitigate the inconvenience to the civilians by this move, the government has notified two dedicated days in a week i.e, (Sunday & Wednesday) exclusively for movement of security forces Convoys and there would be a complete ban on civilian traffic on the National Highway during these two days from 4 AM to 5 PM.
“This prohibition would be from Baramulla through Srinagar, Qazigund, Jawahar-Tunnel, Banihal and Ramban till Udhampur,” it said.
PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, while questioning the order, said that last time she checked, India was still a democracy.
Last I checked, we were a democracy. But this sounds like a diktat of Martial Law.After bringing Kashmir to the brink, the administration is adamant on ensuring collective punishment for Kashmiris. https://t.co/8RbNYnH0CT
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) April 3, 2019
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said that shutting the road would be akin to shutting the lifeline of the valley.
Has anyone in the administration applied their minds before planning to issue this highway closure order? J&K is not Chhattisgarh or Andhra Pradesh where there are alternate routes. Here if you close the national highway you shut down all access to the valley. This is a lifeline.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 3, 2019
Poeples Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone said that the order is ‘too bad to be true’
The order issued by Govt today on vehicular movement is too bad to be true. Can’t believe they actually issued such an order. Makes mockery of liberties and restricts even the right to move.
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) April 3, 2019
In another tweet he said that it will have serious social, political and economic consequences.
In the civilised world military needs will and always b subservient to civil needs. This certainly will be a first of its kind and will have disastrous social political and economic consequences. The Govt should not carve a military identity for itself.
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) April 3, 2019
Former bureaucrat turned politician Shah Faesal said that the policy seems to be ‘imported from Israel.’
Policies imported from Israel will turn Kashmir into Palestine.
The decision to close national highway to civilian traffic on every Wednesday and Sunday is extremely shocking.@RajnathSingh_in how will the employees attend office? How will patients travel? School children? https://t.co/vlceRLFFab
— Shah Faesal (@shahfaesal) April 3, 2019
