October 19, 2008	Sunday	Shawwal 19, 1429

NEW DELHI, Oct 18: The Indian government has told the wife of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, head of Kashmir’s All Parties Hurriyat Conference, to leave the country immediately as the visa on her American passport has expired and it will not be renewed, he said on Saturday.

The Mirwaiz told Dawn from Srinagar that the Srinagar High Court had put the order on hold after the family told the court that there was neither a legal basis nor a moral ground for the Indian move.

It was six years ago that the Mirwaiz married US-born Sheeba Masoodi, whose parents are Kashmiri state subjects. The couple have lived in Srinagar with the help of a long-term multi-entry visa she was given.

“You are hereby directed to leave India within 10 days from the receipt of this notice, failing which action under law shall be initiated,” Srinagar’s Foreigners Registration Office said in a notice issued to her on Oct 4.

Ms Masoodi’s last Indian visa expired on Aug 9, right when unprecedented turmoil was raging in the valley. The Mirwaiz, who has been under house arrest a few times in this period, said the move against his wife was part of India’s intimidation tactics to deter him from leading anti-Delhi protests.