Separatists under house arrest

Authorities put several separatist leaders under house arrest on Friday even as a complete shutdown crippled life here. Separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Shabir Ahmad Shah were put under house arrest to prevent their proposed march to the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observers Group (UNMOG) in the vally.
The separatist leaders had announced their march to the headquarters of UNMOG to present a memorandum against the alleged economic blockade of the Kashmir valley and the harassment of the minority Muslim community in the Jammu region.
Another separatist and chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation front (JKLF) Muhammad Yasin Malik is in the intensive care unit of Soura Medical Institute in Shrinagar after his condition deteriorated Thursday morning. Doctors attending on him said his condition was now stable.
All markets, educational institutions, banks and public transport remained closed here on Friday. Attendance in government offices was thin because of the non-availability of public transport in the city.