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Kashmir Strike Marks Anniversary of Separtist Rebel Death VOA News 11 Feb 2002 10:34 UTC 
Shops and businesses are closed across much of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, for a one-day strike to mark the 18th anniversary of the execution of a separatist rebel.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference called the strike to honor the memory of Maqbool Bhat, who was hanged in a New Delhi jail on February 11, 1984, after being found guilty of murder. Separatists insist he was executed for political reasons.
Bhat founded the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, which demands the Himalayan region's independence from both India and Pakistan. The day of his execution has been observed with a general strike since 1989, the year the armed struggle for Kashmir's independence from India began.
The group he founded laid down its arms in 1994, and became a political organization. It is now a member of the Hurriyat alliance, made up of a number of separatist groups.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and DPA.
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