SRINAGAR, Feb 11: Shops and businesses were shut and road traffic was thin on Friday across Indian-held Kashmir in response to a strike call by Kashmiri groups to honour a pro-independence leader executed by India more than 25 years ago.

Police and paramilitary personnel set up road checkpoints and banned assembly of more than four people to prevent protests in the disputed Himalayan region, said a police officer on condition of anonymity.

Thousands of armed troops patrolled streets in Srinagar and other towns, while most public transport also stayed off the roads and the attendance was sparse in government offices.

Kashmiris have been struggling for their region’s independence from India or merger with Pakistan.

Friday’s strike was called to honour Mohammad Maqbool Butt, the founder of Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front. Mr Butt was hanged in New Delhi’s Tihar prison after a court found him guilty of killing an Indian intelligence officer and conspiring to kill an Indian diplomat, in Britain.

Mr Butt’s family has asked Indian authorities to hand over his remains for burial in the Himalayan region. New Delhi has so far rejected the demand.—AP