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| Mirwaiz vows to carry on struggle till Kashmir’s ‘freedom’ | | Hurriyat’s ‘Ragda’ to NC-PDP at Iddgah, NC’s ‘Ragda’ to PDP in Budgam | | Govt allows separatists’ rally but Mirwaiz calls ‘Lalchowk Chalo’ on July 13th
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, May 21: Senior separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, today threatened to revive “2008-type mass movement” in case New Delhi failed to take substantive measures in the direction of resolving the six-decade-long Kashmir dispute in the next two months. Buoyed with Omar Abdullah government’s permission to Hurriyat’s Iddgah rally today, Mirwaiz issued a call for “Lalchowk Chalo” on July 13th and his followers enjoyed a field day in the capital city while shouting pro-Azadi slogans, patrolling with green flags on motorcycles and, in the evening, burning gunny bags in front of CRPF pillboxes in the downtown.
On occasion of 19th anniversary of Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq’s assassination today, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led faction of the separatist Hurriyat Conference organized a mass congregation and called it “Election Rejection Rally”. Mirwaiz was keen to tell the world that majority of the people in Jammu & Kashmir, according to him, had observed boycott to the lately concluded process of Lok Sabha elections. Even as all parts of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir valley had witnessed moderate turnout of 25% to 65%, Srinagar, Baramulla and Sopore towns in the Valley had largely rejected the Indian democratic exercise with few people exercising their right of franchise.
In a significant development, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had directed the authorities to allow the separatist rally with whatever the speeches and slogans. Sources, however, insisted that the Government permitted the rally only after men of consequence in the Mirwaiz Hurriyat had conveyed to the authorities that there would be no law and order problem and the separatists would not clash with Police or paramilitary forces. Thus, it was for the first time since August 22 last year that the government allowed such kind of a mass demonstration in the Valley.
While Police maintained that it was a 15,000-strong rally, independent estimates put the number of participants between 16,000 and 20,000. Since yesterday itself, Mirwaiz followers had begun patrolling of streets from downtown to uptown, while carrying green colour Islamic flags on motorcycles and vehicles and shouting pro-freedom slogans. There was a pandemonium at Iddgah when a group of over 50 youth shouted slogans in favour of Mirwaiz Umar’s arch rival in the separatist camp, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and yelled that nobody but the Hurriyat (G) chief would represent the Kashmiris at any forum to settle the Kashmir dispute.
The Awami Action Committee supporters shot back with pro-Mirwaiz slogans and thrashed over a dozen of the Geelani followers. Police reports and independent sources said that at least eight persons were beaten up mercilessly and left wounded. Mirwaiz followers were heard shouting that the same men had been “planted” in the rally and, according to them, they were the people striking on Police in downtown Srinagar with continual stone pelting since the beginning of this year. Authorities are understood to have received a list of 50 of such ‘urchins’ and raids were being planned to detain them all.
Immediately after performing his afternoon prayers in assembly at Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz led a rally of more than 5,000 of his followers to Iddgah. It took him over two hours to reach the venue. There was thin presence of Police and CRPF had been directed by the highest authorities to remain invisible inside their bunkers. Mirwaiz offered Fatiha at the tombs of his slain father, Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq, late Abdul Gani Lone and scores of militants and civilians killed by government forces and suspected anti-terrorism cadres in Kashmir valley in the last 19 years of armed insurgency.
In his key address to the gathering, Mirwaiz asserted that the people of Jammu & Kashmir had “rejected” the Indian democratic exercise. He claimed that very few people had participated in the elections and, as such, members of J&K Legislative Assembly and those of the Indian Parliament had no right to call themselves as representatives of the people. “I challenge them to hold a rally at Iddgah and thereafter call themselves as the peoples’ representatives”, 38-year-old cleric-politician said.
Mirwaiz vowed to carry on the struggle until the day of the Kashmiris winning “freedom” from India. He asserted that the blood of “thousands of our martyrs” would not go waste. He stressed on reunification of all factions of the separatist amalgam and declared that he would work hard to recreate “1994-type unity” among the separatist outfits in Kashmir. He said it was high time for the Government of India to take necessary steps in the direction of resolving the Kashmir dispute by way of holding “meaningful negotiations” with the state’s separatist leadership and Islamabad.
Mirwaiz asserted that assuming power or become members of Assembly or Parliament was not Hurriyat’s agenda. He sought to make it clear that Hurriyat’s goal was “complete freedom” from India and the elections for legislative bodies could be contested only after settlement of the Kashmir dispute. “Should India fail to take substantive measures in the next two months, we would be left with no option but to create a “2008-type mass movement”. Buoyed with the controlled success of today’s rally, Mirwaiz issued a call of mass march to Lalchowk on the Martyrs Day of July 13 next.
Proponent of boycott to elections, Mirwaiz said that Hurriyat would not allow anybody to make a bargaining of “our martyrs’ blood” with New Delhi. He wished the upcoming UPA Government to restore the process of dialogue with the Kashmiris and also take Islamabad on board as a primary party to the dispute.
Even as the rally continued to be peaceful till late in the afternoon, flocks of Mirwaiz Umar’s spiritual and political followers amplified their anti-India and pro-Azadi slogans while passing through the CRPF bunkers on Nallah Maar Road on their return to home. Eyewitnesses and official sources said that groups of the participants set on fire empty gunny bags at CRPF pillboxes at Kawdara. Thereafter, there were intermittent clashes between the Mirwaiz supporters and Police.
It was after months that groups of youth were seen yelling “Ragda Ragda NC to Ragda, PDP Ko Ragda”. They were also heard shouting anti-India and pro-Azadi slogans. Some of their slogans were explicitly directed on senior NC leader and Minister in Omar Abdullah’s government, Ali Mohammad Sagar, who is now representing people of Khanyar constituency for the 5th consecutive term in the Assembly.
While the Hurriyat supporters were beating the retreat with anti-NC, anti-PDP and anti-Government slogans in downtown Srinagar in the evening, groups of NC supporters took to the streets at district headquarters of Budgam. Led by NC’s Budgam MLA, Aga Syed Ruhullah, they shouted anti-PDP slogans and yelled that they would not allow the PDP leaders to enter Budgam township on Friday. Reports said that senior PDP leaders, including Shia cleric-politicians, Malvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari and Aga Syed Mehmood, were scheduled to hold a public meeting at Budgam tomorrow. Sources said that the NC supporters burnt rubber-tyres and conveyed to the authorities that they would strike on the PDP leaders should they enter the township on Friday.
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