Hizbul warns election staff
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 3 — Two days before polling for Srinagar parliamentary constituency, the police here today placed the leaders of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) under house arrest. This step has been taken as a precautionary measure as the APHC has called for boycott of elections and launched an anti-election campaign.

Those who were placed under house arrested today included APHC Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and former Chairman, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, Moulana Abbas Ansari and APHC spokesman, Prof Abdul Ghani. Two other leaders, Mohammad Yasin Malik and Javed Ahmad Mir have been in police custody since August 27. Mirwaiz (chief priest) Moulvi Umar Farooq was scheduled to address a Friday congregation in the apple-rich town of Sopore, 50 km north of here in Baramulla district today.

Senior separatist leader, Shabir Ahmad Shah, chief of the People's Democratic Freedom Party (PDFP) was also placed under house arrest. The police was also deployed outside the offices of the APHC and People's Democratic Freedom Party ( PDFP) at Raj Bagh today.

The police had prevented the APHC from holding an anti-election rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Park on Friday last. All the APHC leaders were then placed under house arrest but were set free the following day. Senior executive members of the APHC and JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik and Javed Ahmad Mir were held while attempting to proceed to the venue of the proposed meeting last Friday.

The United Jehad (holy war) Council last Wednesday asked the people of Kashmir to stay away from polling stations. Senior leaders of the council told a press conference in Muzaffarabad (PoK) last Wednesday that those participating in the elections would be treated as "traitors".

Meanwhile, the police, in a pre-dawn sweep, seized copies of the four Urdu dailies and an English daily published from here. The vernaculars "Afaaq", Nidai Mashriq", Srinagar News" and "Uqab" and the English daily "The Mirror of Kashmir" were seized for publication of a statement of the "Hizbul Mujahideen. Some other vernaculars which carried the statement had already been distributed by then.

The statement of the Hizbul Mujahideen warns state government employees against taking part in election duty. The Hizbul Mujahideen also warned the people against voting.

The Hurriyat Conference has already called for a general strike in the valley for today and on Saturday in protest against the election process and saying elections were "no solution to the vexed Kashmir issue".