A partial strike to protest the British knighthood to Indian born writer Salman Rushdie affected normal life in Srinagar [Images] on Friday.

The strike, called by the Jamiat-ul-Mujaheedin outfit and supported by separatist leaders, saw the shutting down of shops and other business establishments in the Civil Lines area of Srinagar, while it evoked partial response in downtown city and other major towns of the Valley.

Traffic was plying normally in Srinagar where security was beefed up.

Friday's strike has been called against the decision of the British government to award knighthood on Salman Rushdie.

It must be mentioned that Salman Rushdie was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam in 1988 when he published his book The Satanic Verses.

A death fatwa was announced against Rushdie by the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989.

Kashmir's grand mufti, Mufti Bashir-ud-Din asked local bookshops to withdraw all the author's books from their shops.