Lashkar, Pak flags waved at separatist rally in Srinagar

 Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 22

Flags of Pakistan and militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba were waved at a demonstration on Friday in Srinagar’s old city. The rally ended up in clashes between stone-throwing protesters and security forces personnel as separatists held a series of protests in the region.

The white and black flag of Lashkar and the green and white of Pakistan were waved by protesters outside Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta locality of the old city here, immediately after the mid-day weekly congregational prayers ended.

The protesters marched from the mosque premises and attempted to move out to the road when they were intercepted by a heavy posse of police and central paramilitary personnel leading to clashes in the locality.

The police and paramilitary personnel fired smoke shells to disperse the crowd, which was attempting to march to the nearby office of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s Awami Action Committee, an eyewitness said.

Mirwaiz Umar, who heads the moderate Hurriyat Conference, continues to remain under house arrest for the past two days after he was barred from commemorating the 25th anniversary of his father Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq. 

The moderate separatist amalgam in its statement condemned Mirwaiz Umar’s detention and described it “insulting to the religious sentiments” of the people.

The waving of militant and Pakistani flags, though not rare in Kashmir, came into focus last month after one such incident led to the arrest of hardline separatist leader Masarat Alam.

In several demonstrations over the recent years, protesters have also waved the black flags of the Al-Qaida and the Islamic State which had led to detentions and police investigations. A separate demonstration was also held by members of the hardline Hurriyat faction of Syed Ali Geelani, who also continues to remain under detention, to protest against the sentencing of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

Another demonstration was held by separatist outfit Kashmir Tehreek-e-Khawateen of Zamrooda Habib, who demanded that Kashmiri prisoners in jails outside should be transferred to prisons here.