The curious case of Hurriyat's protest calendar

The hard-line faction of the Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani has issued a curious 11-day protest schedule asking people of Kashmir to carry out normal activities from dusk to dawn on strike days.

As per the schedule, only two days -- September 19 and 22 -- have been exempted from strikes and protests by the Geelani-led Hurriyat faction, which is spearheading the ongoing agitation in the valley.

The striking point in the protest schedule is that the hardliners have asked the people of the valley to carry out day to day activities from 7 pm to 7 am on the strike days.

"All business establishments, including manufacturing units, flour mills and cement factories will remain open from 7 pm to 7 am," the statement issued by the Hurriyat said. It also said shops and other business establishments can do normal business during night hours. Transporters can ply normally during night, the calendar added.

Geelani has called for a march to the security forces' camps on September 21 to hold peaceful protests to highlight their demands.

Kashmir valley has been rocked by violent protests since June 11 following the killing of a teenager during alleged firing by security forces in Srinagar. The unrest has so far claimed 88 lives.