Chairman Huriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday said that no protests should be held outside the Jamia Masjid Srinagar without the announced program by the pro-freedom leadership.According to KNS correspondent, Mirwaiz while addressing the Friday congregation in historic Jamia Masjid condemned the use of force inside the mosque last Friday. “Whatever government has said about the incident is a blatant lie. It is shameful that such lies are spoken sans any remorse. The truth is that Jamia Masjid since decades is the centre of peoples’ aspirations. Government is hell- bent to destroy its centrality and all tactics are being made to keep people away from offering Friday prayers inside the Jamia Masjid- we will not allow this to happen,” Mirwaiz said amid pro-freedom slogans.
He maintained there should be no chaotic protests held outside the masjid as same gives police a chance to unleash terror and undermine mosque’s sanctity. “People must participate in those programs which are announced by the leadership. Even I take part in those protest marches but no haphazard protests should be allowed to be held outside,” Mirwaiz said.
He added that the locals including the senior citizens must keep a watch over the movements going on outside the masjid after the congregational prayers of Friday conclude. “On one hand if we are blame the government but on the other hand we must hold ourselves accountable. The sanctity of Masjid is supreme.”
“The Masjid occupies an important position in Kashmir. At every juncture of history, apart from spreading the message of Allah, the pulpit of Jamia Masjid has always raised the voice on behalf of the suppressed people especially since 1931.”
“During the days of Muhajr-e-Millat and Shaheed-e-Millat, Jamia Masjid was time and again targeted and on August 25, 1989, government forces laid siege of the Masjid and desecrated it hurting the sentiments of Muslims all over the valley. Despite the opposition of the people to the deployment of large number of forces outside the mosque the government paid no heed to it and continued with this ploy to provoke people and vitiate the atmosphere,” he added.The Huriyat (M) chairman also hailed the recent report of Amnesty International in which the rights watch dog body had pitched for the repeal of the AFSPA from Kashmir. Mirwaiz said that such black laws must be abolished and that the people of Kashmir are thankful to Amnesty for raising such an important issue. “We appeal the international community to raise voice against the presence of AFSPA in Kashmir- law which has given forces immunity at large,” Mirwaiz said.
Mirwaiz strongly denounced the continuous house arrest of Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani especially barring him from offering Friday prayers. He called it as blatant interference in religious rights and obligations and termed it as dictatorial.Meanwhile, the Hurriyat (M) spokesman expressed surprise over former R&AW chief AS Dulat assumption that Mirwaiz could have joined mainstream politics.He said that Hurriyat’s engagement with both India and Pakistan was only aimed at resolution of the Kashmir dispute and not for any electoral ambitions. The spokesman maintained that it is Hurriyat’s constitutional stand that Kashmir issue can be solved either by implementing UN resolutions or through meaningful dialogue among the three stake holders, people of Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan.