news details |
|
|
| Youth lash out at Geelani, Mirwaiz | | Hurriyat call for strike today | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Srinagar, Feb 1: Angry youth today lashed out at Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq for “getting hefty sums from Pakistan in the name of movement.” They raised slogans against the duo and made clear that the “movement was run by the youth and not by any leader.” The Hurriyat factions reacted by calling general strike tomorrow (February 2).
Thousands of youth, some of them masked assembled at Jamia Masjid here this morning to offer Nimaaz-e-Jinaza to Wamiq Farooq who was killed by a tear smoke shell last evening in Down Town. The youth did not allow any separatist leaders to lead the funeral prayers. Instead, a young man from Rainawari identified as Arif Shafi Wani led the prayers.
Soon after the body of Wamiq was taken to Eidgah graveyard where it was laid to rest amid tears and sobs. The angry youth raised slogans against police and the Hurriyat leaders.
Later some masked youth called the media persons to a corner and addressed what they called an emergency press conference. They lashed out at Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq for “leading a lavish life at the expense of the hapless people”
They said the on-going movement was movement of the youth and they had been running it effectively. “Stone pelting is an important tool and cannot be done away with”, they said.
The masked men called for 4-day strike in down town city. “We do not need any Geelani or Mirwaiz to lead the movement. We will not allow any separatist to run his political shop over the graves of martyrs”, they said.
Without naming anybody, the masked youth said a pro-Indian party was helping the police in getting stone pelting youth arrested.
This is for the first time in the history of Kashmir when people have criticized and raised slogans against Mirwaiz and that too in the Jamia Masjid lawns. In a bid to pacify the angry youth, the Mirwaiz called for general strike on February 2 against what he called grave violation of human rights in the Valley. This was followed by a similar strike call by Geelani’s Hurriyat.
Meanwhile, IGP Kashmir Farooq Ahmad expressed grief over the demise of Wamiq Farooq in police action last evening.
Farooq urged the parents to refrain their wards from indulging in stone pelting. “We have taken action against the erring police officer. He has been placed under suspension”, he said.
However, a police spokesman said that the youth had pelted stones on the vehicle of the police officer last evening and he had responded by firing tear smoke shells at them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
