India disallowed Hurriyat leaders to lead Eid Prayers
Friday, 19 November 2010 14:42
Srinagar, November 19, 2010: The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have castigated Indian authorities for disallowing them to lead Eid-ul-Azha and Juma prayers, describing the action as a blatant infringement of peoples religious rights.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani in his statement appealed to the international community to take cognizance of the state repression in the occupied territory. He said that the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the only way for achieving a lasting peace in south Asia. Syed Ali Shah Geelani condemned the recent arrests of his party activists.
The APHC Chairman said, in an interview, for the first time in 250 years, ever since the institution of the Mirwaiz was created in Kashmir, the authorities did not allow Mirwaiz to lead prayers in Srinagar.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq were among the leaders who were placed under house arrest on the Eid day and the Indian authorities continued to confine them to their residences in Srinagar, today.
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq pointed out that not allowing him to lead the prayers is an extreme step by the authorities, however, such tactics would not cow down the people of Kashmir. We will continue, he added, our struggle for a lasting solution to the Kashmir dispute.
APHC leader, Agha Syed Hassan Almoosvi in a media interview while condemning the continued house arrest of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwiaz Umar Farooq urged India to shun its rigid policies on Occupied State of Jammu & Kashmir (OSJK) and come forward to resolve the Kashmir dispute through meaningful tripartite dialogue process.
People observed Eid ul Azha, on Wednesday, with traditional zeal and religious fervour, reaffirming their resolve to continue liberation struggle till it reaches its logical conclusion.
Thousands of Muslims offered Eid prayers and the largest congregations were held at Hazratbal, Eidgah and TRC ground in Srinagar. However, people held pro-liberation demonstrations at several places in Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Sopore, Seelu, Palhalan, Baramulla, Delina, Handwara, Trehgam, Bandipore, Hajin and Sumbal.
The APHC Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Shabbir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Ahmad Khan could not offer Eid prayers as the authorities had placed them under house arrest.
Meanwhile, two Indian police personnel were found dead in mysterious circumstances, one of them in a hotel in Jammu and the other in a restaurant in Kathua.
The Executive Director of Kashmir Centre London, Prof Nazir Ahmed Shawl has strongly condemned the continued house arrest of APHC leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
Shawl in a statement said the puppet administration in Srinagar, who prevented APHC leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwiaz Umer Farooq, Shabbir Ahmed Shah and Nayeem Ahmed Khan to offer their Eid prayers on Wednesday is an intervention in ones religious freedom.
He said people in the occupied territory were not only being denied political rights by India, but they were also being prevented from performing their religious obligations. This unjustified act cannot defeat the determination of the people of Occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir (OSJK) who are struggling for right of Self-Determination, despite all odds, shawl added.
Shawl appealed to the International community and human rights organizations to take notice of continued violations in OSJK.
The Amnesty International has urged the Indian authorities in Occupied State of Jammu & Kashmir (OSJK) to release a 14-year-old child who has been detained without charge or trial under draconian law in April this year during anti-India protests.
In a statement, Amnesty Internationals Asia-Pacific Director, Sam Zarafi said, the arrested child should be treated in accordance with International laws on child rights. 14-year-old, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh who was firstly arrested on April 9, 2010 was released on bail after eight days in custody and was re-arrested on 21 April during the ongoing "Quit Kashmir movement (QKM)" in Srinagar. The illegally detained child is now held at Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu.
"Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh must either be charged with a recognizable criminal offence or released immediately. If he is charged, he should be treated in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, held and tried in special facilities for children, the statement added.
According to Amnesty International, this year, at least 322 people including children are reported to have been arrested by police and paramilitary forces without trial under the black law.
India disallowed Hurriyat leaders to lead Eid Prayers
