Srinagar:
It was Sunday but an extremely busy working day in Kashmir. It was a full working day after a long time with banks, schools and BSNL offices opening after almost six weeks of near-total shutdown. It was a day-long break, granted by the hardliner separatists themselves who have announced a break in their calendar of strikes and protests.
"We feel very happy today. We want an end to strikes and continue our studies," said Humaira, student.
Now, there's a debate even among the hardliner separatists on whether such crippling strikes are good for their image. On Friday, Syed Salahuddin, the PoK-based head of the United Jehad Council suggested a flexible approach to strikes but a group of masked men claiming to be representatives of stone throwers snubbed him in public.
"Salahuddin doesn't know much about present movement in Kashmir. Because he is in Pakistan and here, we know, how our brethren are killed and injured," said a masked man.
And hours after this, the Geelani faction of the Hurriyat Conference announced another calendar of strikes and protests. Later in the evening, anonymous emails were sent to the press attacking Salahuddin and all moderate separatists including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. While Geelani is under arrest, the moderates preferred not to react.
As more extremists are now publically snubbing Salahuddin and Jamaat-e-Islami, fractions have begun to show within the hardliner separatists and extreme ideological elements seem to be gaining upper hand. And while New Delhi is looking for the option of resuming dialogue with separatists, those enforcing strikes in the Valley are faceless.