Farooq Abdullah asks Centre to withdraw order to close Srinagar-Jammu national highway

SRINAGAR: The Central government must withdraw its decision to close Srinagar-Jammu highway, the lifeline of the Valley, said National Conference (NC) chairman and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah here on Sunday.

Abdullah, while addressing NC workers protesting against the Centre's decision to close Srinagar-Jammu national highway for two days every week for the movement of security convoy, said: "The highway is the lifeline of Srinagar. How can they close it? It will have an impact over the trade. We want a complete withdrawal of the erroneous order by the Centre."

"If they are worried about the security of the security personnel, then they should use trains for ferrying them or the convoy should move in the night," he said.

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government as "dictatorship," Abdullah said: "This order is wrong. The law is false. Take it back."

The restrictions come after a CRPF convoy, on its way from Jammu and Srinagar, was attacked by a suicide car bomber on the National Highway in Pulwama district, killing 40 personnel on February 14. Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) had claimed the responsibility for the attack.