Ishfaq-ul-Hassan | India Tomorrow
SRINAGAR—Clamour is growing for the release of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq.
Mirwaiz, who is the chief cleric of Kashmir and chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference, is under house arrest since August 5, 2019, when Centre abrogated Article 370 and downgraded the state into two union territories.
Imam Hai and Vice President of Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid Srinagar Moulana Ahmad Sayeed Naqshbandi appealed to the government to release Mirwaiz keeping in view the holy month of Ramzan that begins in April.
Addressing a Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid or the Grand Mosque, Imam Hai expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Jammu and Kashmir and continued detention of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
“Usurping the basic rights of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir and the people through the military might are extremely unfortunate and condemnable. Ongoing Rajab-ul-Murajab is a sacred month in which the Messenger of Allah Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) was bestowed with miracles among which the Me’raj-un-Nabi (SAW) was historic and revolutionary,” he said.
Imam Hai said it has been a centuries-old tradition of the Mirwaizeen-e-Kashmir to organize special programmes and Majaalis wherein they would shed light on the importance and significance of Rajab-ul-Murajab and Me’raj-un-Nabi (SAW).
Taking a dig at the authorities, he said there is a limit to everything and the continuous house arrest of Kashmir’s topmost religious leader is beyond comprehension.
On this occasion, people present in the Masjid expressed strong resentment over the continued detention of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir and demanded his immediate release.
Jamia Masjid had remained locked for 19 weeks in a row before it was opened for prayers last year. Neither ‘azaan’ was called nor was ‘namaz’ (prayer) offered in the historic mosque for 19 weeks post-August 5, 2019.
Last month Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said since August 1, 2019, 613 persons “including separatists, overground workers, stone pelters etc were detained at various points of time”.
“Out of these, based on regular review and ground situation, 430 persons have been released till date,” he said, while responding to the questions by Congress leader from Assam Ripun Bora and Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi.
In fact, the entire political leadership of Kashmir was jailed on August 5. Those jailed without any charge include three former chief ministers –Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah. Farooq, who has been detained under the stringent Public Safety Act, is a sitting Member of Parliament from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency. The government maintained that the restrictions on the Kashmiri leaders were needed to prevent them from inciting people, something which could disturb law and order in the region.
Though many politicians including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and Omar Abdullah were released, Mirwaiz continues to remain under house arrest, though he has not been booked under Public Safety Act (PSA).
