A complete shutdown called by a separatist group was observed in India’s Kashmir on Friday. The group has called for a 19-day-long, state-wide shutdown.

The state police detained the group’s chief on Thursday, while the head of the Hurriyat conference's moderate faction, has also been under house arrest for the past four days.

[Rameez Ahmad, Local]:
“This shutdown has been called to oppose the human rights violations taking place here. Also, some leaders of Hurriyat have been kept under house arrest and some are in prison. This is the reason why they have called for a strike.”

All shops, government offices and educational institutions remained closed and public transport has come to a standstill.

Many local residents say frequent shutdowns have affected their livelihood.

[Muhammad Yousuf, Local]:
“This should not happen daily. Each day we incur losses. We, too, need to feed our families and ourselves. We are poor people and are facing a lot of trouble.”

Meanwhile, authorities have imposed restrictions in old Srinagar City to prevent violent protests.

The shutdown comes in the wake of the India-Pakistan diplomatic talks, which began in Islamabad on Thursday.