Government's decision to ban civilian vehicles outrages Hurriyat chairman Farooq

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Thursday said the administration's decision to ban movement of civilian vehicles on Jammu and Kashmir national highway for two days a week was "anti-people and dictatorial".

The national highway from Baramulla to Udhampur has been put out of bounds for the civilian traffics on Sundays and Wednesdays till May 31, a notification issued by the J-K administration said Wednesday. "Another anti-people dictatorial move of the government to close the national highway for two days which will cause great distress to people.

"The government should withdraw this diktat and stop punishing people of Kashmir," the Mirwaiz wrote on Twitter. The ban on civilian traffic would be effective from Baramulla to Udhampur through Srinagar, Qazigund, Jawahar-Tunnel, Banihal and Ramban, the notification said.

The ban would be in force on the two days from 4 am to 5 pm, it added.

(With inputs from agencies.)