Thursday 14th May, 2026
Srinagar, Apr 10: (UNI) National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah on Wednesday led a sit-in protest by his party in the summer capital, Srinagar, against government ban on civilian traffic for two-days in a week on the Kashmir-Jammu National Highway to allow free and secure movement of security force convoy.
Scores of NC leaders and activists led by Mr Abdullah, who is the former chief minister of J&K, hit the streets at Pantha Chowk on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway against the ban.
Holding a placard, which read, ‘Highway ban unacceptable’, Mr Abdullah and other NC leaders and activities held a sit-in protest at Pantha Chowk, demanding an immediate revocation of the government order.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Union ministries of defence, home affairs and transport, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the state government, directing them to respond to pleas seeking orders to scrap the ban within 10 days.
The notices were issued by the HC while hearing the Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by a battery of lawyers representing the petitioners — including bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal, National Conference’s Ali Muhammad Sagar, Peoples Democratic Party’s Naem Akhter and three lawyers — seeking striking down of the ban on the movement of civilian traffic on the Kashmir-Jammu national highway, for two days a week.
The government, in an order, had said that civilian traffic will not be allowed on Kashmir-Jammu national highway for Wednesdays and Sundays in a week for security reasons between 0400 hrs to 1700 hrs, attracting severe criticism from political parties and general public. Only security force convoys will be allowed on these two days.
However, Mr Abdullah posted a video on micro-blogging site Twitter on Monday, of an Army convoy moving on the highway.
The Vice-President of the NC said that when if it is safe for security force convoys to move on Monday without closing the highway to civilian traffic, why is it not safe on Wednesdays and Sundays. “Nothing proves the mindlessness of the order, more than Army movement on unsafe days,” Mr Abdullah said.
Mr Abdullah said he is simply trying to highlight the point that the architects of the highway closure have made no application of mind. “Somehow, this convoy on the highway is safe today, but it wouldn’t have been yesterday and won’t be on Wednesday,” he added.