Day before PM’s J&K talks, anger in Valley, Mirwaiz sends note to UN

As anger swept Handwara and hundreds took to the streets today to protest the killing of four persons—two of them were children—allegedly by troops in firing, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq dashed off a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, accusing India of “unleashing a reign of terror and oppression on the innocent people of Kashmir”.

The Hurriyat, which has turned down the PM’s invitation for a roundtable on Kashmir, indicated a break in its line with New Delhi. Its memorandum to Annan stated: “It is not the first time that Indian forces have killed innocent civilians. These forces have been given full authority by the Government of India to act with impunity, unleashing a reign of terror and oppression on the innocent people of J&K.”

JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, who met the PM last week, was held on the way to Handwara while hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani was placed under house arrest.