NEWS

JKLF's 114-day peace march postponed

By Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar
November 05, 2007 18:43 IST

The pro-Independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front on Monday postponed its Jammu phase of the Safar-e-Azadi (Journey of Freedom) scheduled to begin from the hilly Doda district on Monday.

JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who returned to Srinagar on Sunday after the district authorities in Doda disallowed his march, said, "Our intention is to spread the message of brotherhood to the people of Jammu region and talk to people at the grass root level."

"We want to sent out a message to both India and Pakistan that people of the state cannot be ignored while seeking a solution to the issue."

Malik said that the 114-day Safar-e-Azadi march in valley, which started from Kokernag village in May and passed through major towns and villages of the valley, was peaceful.

Fearing trouble, the Doda district magistrate on Sunday disallowed the march and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code.

The police later detained the JKLF chairman Malik along with a dozen other activists.

In April, the JKLF announced "a three-month long Safare-Azadi to cover the entire Valley to press for the inclusion of people of the state in the ongoing peace process between the two south Asian nuclear neighbours, India and Pakistan".

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

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