Kashmir: Two killed, Hurriyat drops protest march

Budgam : Two people were killed and four others injured in fresh clashes between civilians and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir in Budgam district on Friday.

According to reports, security forces opened fire as protesters defied the curfew and started pelting stones at them.

Officials said while two died in firing by the security forces, four people were injured in Beerwa village of Budgam.

Meanwhile, Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led hardline separatist group Hurriyat announced there will be no protest march to army camps on Sept 21.

?There will be no protest march to army camps in Kashmir. We will send a petition for army withdrawal from Kashmir through internet,? Hurriyat spokesperson Ayaz Akbar told NDTV news channel.

However, Army Chief Gen VK Singh on Friday said it is not for the army, but the government to decide on the withdrawal of contentious Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the Valley.

“Army does not decide all those?that’s all for the (political) leadership to decide,” Singh told reporters in Pondicherry.

In New Delhi, the Congress on Friday chose Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to be part of the all-party delegation that will visit J&K on Monday to take stock of the situation.

While fingers are being pointed at J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his ?failure? to restore law and order in the state, Farooq Abdullah, his father and Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, said Kashmir is ?not easy to cover?.

“There is no deficit as far as he (Omar) is concerned. He is doing an excellent job. It is the most difficult time and I do not think anybody can do better than Omar Abdullah… what he is doing today,? Farooq said in an interview to Karan Thapar on his ?Devil’s Advocate? show on CNN-IBN news channel.

“Do you think Kashmir is easy to cover? It is a difficult problem. The problem has been there for 60 years. The young man is doing his best. As best as anyone can do to put the state right,” he said.

The entire Kashmir Valley is under curfew for the past five days even as the suspended air services to and from Srinagar has been resumed.

The death toll in the current unrest since June 11 has touched 91 with the latest report of death.

In the past week the valley was singed by fresh violence over alleged desecration of Quran in USA, adding fuel to the anti-India protests led by the separatist leaders.