The Army staged flag marches in Srinagar for the second straight day Thursday as stringent curfew continued. There have, however, been no major new incidents of violence since Tuesday, when Kashmir’s summer capital erupted after the killing of four persons in police and CRPF firings and beating.
As tensions persisted, chief minister Omar Abdullah called an all-party meeting here on Monday to try find a consensus on defusing the crisis. He will first meet legislators of the ruling National Conference-Congress coalition and supporting groups on Sunday, official sources said.
Reports from New Delhi said, meanwhile, that the Centre was not averse to seeking a dialogue with separatist elements and other shades of opinion in Kashmir once law and order was restored.
The curfew was extended on Thursday to more parts of the Kashmir Valley, including Baramulla, Sopore and Ganderbal towns. In Ganderbal, 22 km north of Srinagar, large crowds came out on the streets Thursday and clashed with the police and CRPF, which fired rifle shots over the protesters’ heads and also burst teargas shells.
The authorities indicated curfew might be relaxed by rotation on Friday in different parts of Srinagar and other towns, particularly in view of the Friday prayers.
Protests also erupted at Palhalan and Rafiabad in Baramulla district, leaving many injured.
As curfew is being strictly enforced within and outside Srinagar, and curfew passes issued by the district authorities, including those to the media, were cancelled, no newspaper was published here on Thurs-day. The situation is likely to remain unchanged on Friday.