NEW DELHI: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was denied perimission again after hopes were raised that he would address his first Friday congregation since the dismantling of Jammu and Kashmir three years.
On Friday, the Mirwaiz nailed the government’s lie when prepared to visit Srinagar’s Jama Masjid but was police stopped him from leaving his house.
The incident occurred days after J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said the chief cleric was not under house arrest. Mr Sinha in an interview to BBC last week denied that Mirwaiz was under house arrest.
“He is neither arrested nor detained. He must decide what he wants to do,” Manoj Sinha had told BBC Hindi.The J&K administration too had claimed that Mirwaiz was a “free man” and the security forces deployed at his residence were “meant for his protection”.
The denying of permission to Mirwaiz to step out of his home comes a day after Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid (AAJM) had announced that all preparations had been made to facilitate Kashmir’s chief cleric to deliver the khutba (sermon) and also lead the congregational prayers after nearly three years.
The AAJM is the managing body of the 14th-century Jama Masjid in Srinagar’s Nowhatta locality, However, as soon as Mirwaiz’s vehicle reached the main gate of his residence, two police officers stopped it, telling him not to venture out.
“The LG has announced that I am a free man… I am going to Jamia Masjid to discharge my religious duties as Mirwaiz. Why am I being stopped?” he asked the police officers.One of the officers responded that a security review was going on due to which he would not be allowed to leave. The Mirwaiz said his rights as a citizen were being forfeited despite the LG making a clear statement that there were no curbs placed on his movement.
Stepping out of the car, the Mirwaiz tried to walk out through the main gate but was stopped by police personnel accompanying the two officers, The Wire said.
“Please give me something in writing about why I am being stopped. The home minister has said on the floor of Parliament that no one in Kashmir is under house arrest. The LG has made statements to international media on the same lines but you are here to stop me,” he said.
The Mirwaiz sought to know if the government was not claiming that everything in Kashmir had returned to normal and people were happy. “I want to join my people in their happiness. Why are you stopping me?” he asked before being turned back.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2022
