Kashmir: Hurriyat leader makes unsuccessful attempt to take out march

Srinagar: Chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is under house arrest, on Saturday tried to take out a march from his residence to Lal Chowk but his attempt was thwarted by the police which detained him at a police station. The separatist leader came out from his Nigeen residence located on the outskirts of Srinagar this afternoon and was immediately detained by the policemen and lodged at Nigeen police station, officials said. [caption id=“attachment_2877958” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. AFP[/caption] The separatist groups — one led by Mirwaiz, another by hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF led by Yasin Malik, had given a call for ‘Lal Chowk March’ on Saturday and Sunday to press for ‘right of self-determination’ in accordance with the UN resolutions. While Geelani is under house arrest at his Hyderpora residence here, Malik who was arrested on 9 July following widespread clashes in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani is lodged at Central jail Srinagar. Prior to his arrest, Mirwaiz accused the central government of trying to hoodwink the people of the country and international community “by keeping a lid on the ground realities” in the valley. “They are claiming that some people are misguided. If that is the case, there is a great opportunity for them to conduct a referendum and see what the people of Kashmir want,” he told reporters. He said “the reality is that the people of Kashmir neither demand employment or contracts nor the subsidy. The only demand of the people is freedom and restoration of their rights. So the Indian government should read the writing on the wall.” Apparently referring to India’s stand that the ongoing unrest in the valley is sponsored by Pakistan, Mirwaiz said, “repeatedly attempts are being made that the ongoing movement in Kashmir is sponsored and somebody is pushing it from behind. “This is the movement of the people of Kashmir. It is not today’s movement or the movement started in 1947. The people of Kashmir are rendering sacrifices since 1931 for their rights. “Our programme and our stand is crystal clear - the right of self-determination is the basis of our struggle,” he said. He said no election, no economic package and “so-called” political initiative would work in Kashmir till the issue is resolved in accordance with the UN resolutions.