When the government thought it had choked the communications of separatists with people, and rounded up all those who matter, Muslim League leader Masarat Alam reminded government that he was still out. Annoyed by the situation in the state, the authorities have in the last few days gone for a major crackdown on separatists and alleged stone pelters (read youth) across the valley. Even the office bearers of Hurriyat (G) have not been spared – while Syed Ali Geelani has been detained under a PSA – so that there is no one left to call for a protest strike.
However, Masarat Alam who apparently had pre-emptively gone underground gave the government a shock by announcing a protest programme, named “Quit JK Campaign” from an undisclosed location. It includes some strike calls and protest marches of students, women, and men. Protest programme for internet social networking sites is also included in the programme.
“The agitation programme will be for total vacation of Indian troops from Jammu and Kashmir… The oppression has reached the extreme, compelling us to launch ‘Quit JK campaign’,” Alam said.
On June 27, as part of the programme Alam said, people should register their protest by writing “Go India, Go Back” on walls, boards, placards, roads, social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and Gmail Buzz. “The internet will help us to put our message across the globe. They would come to know that people of Kashmir want total vacation of Indian troops from Jammu and Kashmir”.
With different protests in the two weeks the programme culminates with a march from the Naqshband Sahib Shrine to Eidgah on July 13.
Alam, considered a hardliner separatist, was recently released from jail after a detention of around two years under Public Safely Act, which was slapped on him seven times consecutively.
