Srinagar, March 28 (IANS) A shutdown called by separatists in the Kashmir Valley partially affected life here Thursday.
While banks, post offices and government offices functioned normally in Srinagar, several private schools remained closed.
Public transport plied partially on city roads. However, private vehicles were running normally during the strike.
Shops and other business establishments remained closed in major markets of the city.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Mushawarat, coordination committee of separatist groups, called for a complete valley-wide shutdown Thursday to mount pressure on the government for the return of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's body to his family.
Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed at several places in the city, but no restrictions were imposed on pedestrian and vehicular movement.
Vehicles carrying tourists to hill stations of Sonamarg, Pahalgam and Gulmarg moved as usual. The vehicular traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu highway also remained normal.
Arrival of tourists has started picking up now, after protests in the Kashmir Valley in the wake of Afzal Guru's execution in Delhi's Tihar Jail February 9.
Over one million tourists visited the valley in 2011. Their numbers rose to 1.3 million last year according to the official records.
--Indo-Asian News Service
