Ishfaq Tantry & Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, April 8

A day after civilian movement on the 270-km Baramulla-Srinagar-Udhampur National Highway was barred to secure the safe passage of security forces’ convoys, the Army and other forces’ convoys continued to ply on the highway in Kashmir today, prompting the people to question the logic behind the bi-weekly ban.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted a video of convoys plying on Monday despite two days being reserved specifically for their passage on the highway, which serves as a lifeline.

“If it is safe for SF 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 the Army movement on ‘unsafe’ days. This road is part of the highway by the way,” he said in one of the tweets.

Throughout Monday, the Army convoys were seen plying along the Baramulla-Qazigund stretch, raising questions as the government had on April 3  notified Sunday and Wednesday for forces’ movement every week, restricting civilian traffic movement on the highway on these two designated days.  

An Army official who wished not to be named said that the ban was imposed not based on the inputs of Army, as Army requires to ply convoys on all days.

Besides, sources in police also alluded to this fact that plying convoys on exclusive days without civilian traffic on highway would make them (convoys) more prone to attacks by militants.

In fact, during the 2016 unrest following Burhan Wani’s killing,  the Army used to ply convoys during night hours, but the militants had attacked one such convoy in Baramulla, in which two personnel and a police driver was killed. Later, the Army decided to ply convoys during day time.

Apart from the Army, CRPF and BSF convoys also plied along the highway today. “The Army will ply their vehicles all the days except Friday,” a defence official said.