Police on Friday foiled the ‘Budgam chalo’ programme of resistance leadership by detaining leaders while clashes erupted at many areas of the Kashmir Valley after Friday prayers.In a statement issued here, the joint resistance leadership condemned detention of leaders and restrictions on condolence meeting of Budgam martyrs who were killed on polling day.They said that Chairman Anjuman-e-Share Shiyaan, Aga Syed Hasan was placed under house arrest in late hours on Thursday night while as Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohamad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, Nayem Ahmad Khan, Peer Saif ullah, Raja Meraj u Din, Mohamad Ashraf Laya, Ayaz Akbar, Syed Imtiyaz Hyder and Umar Adil Dar are already detained in their residences or police stations and were not allowed to attend condolence meeting.
Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement termed these arbitrary arrests as “state terrorism and said that restriction on condolence program is unjustified”. Condemning and blaming state authorities for their highhandedness, resistance leaders said that authorities are choking genuine voices and shrinking space for peaceful political activities.The leaders said that we are not allowed to mourn even over martyrs. “Resistance leaders had decided to hold a condolence meeting after Friday prayers at Behishti Zehra Park and express condolence with the families of Budgam martyrs. They had summoned a condolence meeting to express solidarity with bereaved families and commemorate these martyrs’ however state authorities laid curbs, restricted movement of leadership and arrested resistance leadership,” the statement added.Meanwhile, clashes erupted in several areas of Valley including Tral, Tahab, Sopore and Narbal areas after Friday prayers. Police used teargas shells on protesters and also pepper shells. A police officer said the day passed off peacefully in Valley barring some stray incidents of stone-pelting.(GNS)