Pakistani flags at Mirwaiz rally

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 20

Moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today held a rally in the old city here ahead of death anniversaries of two separatists in which Pakistani flags were raised. Clashes also were reported from Sarafkadal area of the old city.

Following the Friday afternoon congregational prayers at historic Jamia Masjid at Nowhatta, Mirwaiz came out on road along with his supports and marched through the streets to Hawal locality.

Eyewitnesses said over 2,000 supporters of Mirwaiz carrying party, Pakistani and pro-militant flags marched to Hawal, where they dispersed peacefully. However, clashes were reported from Sarafkadal area.

Mirwaiz has called for a general strike tomorrow on the death anniversary of Kashmir’s two slain leaders — Mirwaiz Moulvi Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone. To foil the strike, the J&K government has decided to impose restrictions in five police station areas.

Moulvi Farooq was murdered in cold blood on May 21, 1990, when unidentified gunmen barged into his Nigeen residence at Srinagar and assassinated him.

Lone, a moderate separatist leader, was also killed on May 21 in 2002, by unidentified assailants at a rally that had been held to mark the death anniversary of Maulvi Farooq at Eidgah ground.

Lone was father of separatists Bilal and Sajjad, who is the first separatist-turned-mainstream politician and is a Cabinet minister in PDP-BJ government.

Earlier, Mirwaiz Umar in his Friday address at Jamia mosque said that attempts of “harming the religious and cultural identity of Kashmiris and changing the demography” of the region by converting Muslim-majority into a minority were being made under a well planned design.