KL Report
Srinagar
While terming the restrictions on movement of its Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, as direct interference into the religious matters of people of state, the Hurriyat Conference (M) Friday strongly condemned the act on part of authorities stopping the valley’s head priest from offering congregational Friday prayers.
“The restrictions laid by the authorities on Chairman’s political, social, and religious activities are highly condemnable”, said the Hurriyat Spokesman in a statement issued here.
“In an act of direct religious interference, the dictatorial authorities today restricted APHC Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from offering Friday prayers at historic Jamia Masjid Srinagar.
Besides offering prayers, Mirwaiz also delivers sermons on Friday’s. Mirwaiz was put under house arrest soon after he arrived from Delhi. As soon, he landed in Srinagar, the large posse of police surrounded him and placed him under house arrest at his Nageen residence”, he said.
He added that the the government has already placed senior hurriyat leaders Moulana Abbas Ansari, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, and Aga Syed Hassan Al Moosvi under house detention. Moosvi too was restricted from offering nimaaz at Imam Bara, Badgam. “Other hurriyat leaders have been arrested and kept in various police lock-ups across Kashmir”.
The Hurriyat Conference has also condemned authorities for allegedly stopping people from offering prayers.
“Wanton arrests and stopping people from offering prayers is highly condemnable. It’s a shameless act on part of the government,” spokesman said.
The spokesman said by imposing curfew and restriction to stop people from offering congregational prayers was direct interference in the religious matters of Kashmiris. He said such draconian measures have been taken to break the will of Kashmiris.
“Unfortunately, they are doing from it past two decades. But Kashmiris have never lost determination to fight for their birth right- right to self determination. They have fought in the past; they would fight in the future as well till Kashmir would get freedom from the Indian occupation”.
The spokesman said repression and oppressive strategy employed by Indian state to suppress Kashmiri aspirations and emotion would never succeed.
