Sternly condemning the house arrest of Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Dr. Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq in a bid to stop him from offering Friday prayers at historic Jamia Masjid, Hurriyat (M) spokesman termed the often repeated government action of imposing restrictions on the social, religious and political activities of Mirwaiz as a clear sign of “frustration” and continuation of the policy of political vendetta.According to a statement issued to KNS, the spokesman has also condemned the house arrest of senior Hurriyat leaders including Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Javaid Ahmad Mir, Syed Saleem Geelani and arrest of Engineer Hilal Ahmad War at Maisuma police station. On the occasion of Friday prayers at historic Jamia Masjid, Imam Hai and G.N. Zaki condemned the house arrest of APHC Chairman and other senior Hurriyat leaders.
Expressing serious concern, over designating Kaunsarnag as a new Yatra destination, the spokesman said that government by doing so has acted in haste to please Hindu extremist elements in order to gain their sympathies. The spokesman said that Hurriyat has always been strong advocate of communal harmony, and has passionately been pleading for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to their ancestral homes besides calling for the protection of religious places of the Pandits. The spokesman stated that there were some powerful non-state communal elements who under the pretext of protecting the Hindu shrines want to spoil the centuries old communal harmony of Kashmir. The spokesman said it is strange that these elements all of a sudden have discovered Kausarnag as a Pilgrimage site which otherwise everybody knows as a famous tourist destination. He said that all this was being done in a systematic way in order to undermine the Muslim majority character of Jammu and Kashmir which can jeopardize the communal harmony of the region besides changing the distinct culture and identity of Kashmir.
Spokesman stated that it was highly unfortunate that authorities instead of realizing the sensitivities involved with the issue and respecting the emotions of Kashmiri populace were facilitating the so called Yatra to please the communal elements and thus deliberately pushing the state towards uncertainty and communal hatred. He stated that any harm to ecology of the area would prove to be disastrous for the flora and fauna of Kashmir. The spokesman also condemned the use of force against the protesters in Kulgam for resisting the controversial move.Meanwhile several Hurriyat leaders addressed Friday gatherings during which they denounced the government for arresting Hurriyat leaders and crippling their political activities. Senior Hurriyat leader Agha Syed Hassan Al Moosvi addressed at Badgam, Moulana Masroor Abbas Ansari at Sajadabad, Syed Bashir Andrabi at Pulwama and G.N Wasim at Kupwara. (KNS)