No Friday prayers at Jamia; Mirwaiz lashes at Govt for caging people

Srinagar, Jan 26: Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday lashed at the authorities for “caging” the Hurriyat leadership and disallowing Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid.
“Once again no prayers allowed in barricaded and garrisoned downtown including at the #JamaMasjid, while all channels of communication remain blocked and leadership put under forced detention by the ‘republican state’”,” tweeted Mirwaiz.
Joint Hurriyat leadership comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik had called for protests after Friday prayers against the civilian killings and use of indiscriminate force and demolition of property by forces.
Later in a statement, Hurriyat (M) strongly denounced the government for banning the congregational Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, imposing stringent curbs in entire downtown and disallowing people from reaching Kashmir’s spiritual centre to offer Friday prayers and also caging Mirwaiz in his house.
Hurriyat (M) spokesman termed these “repressive measures as a reflection of India’s so-called democracy that it trumpets around the world”.
“We register a strong protest against the display of state terrorism in the form of strict curfew and huge deployment of forces across the length and breadth of Kashmir, blocking of communication lines, caging of entire leadership and activists to prevent people from staging peaceful protest against the unabated killing spree including the recent killing of teenager Shakir Ahmed of Shopian, who fell to direct firing by forces as part of target killing by them and critical injury of two 18 year old girls, Saima and Sumaira who were shot in the head and are battling for their life at the hospital. The condition of Saima is extremely serious,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said entire Kashmir has been converted into a military garrison and an atmosphere of fear is prevalent everywhere as the infamous CASO operations continue.
The spokesman said that every year January 26 and August 15 bring miseries to the people of Kashmir as there is a huge deployment of forces all over as if a war is going on. He said in the run up to January 26 and August 15, Kashmiris are subjected to worst form of harassment frisking bans and curbs to inconvenience and intimidate them
The spokesman said such “repressive measures can’t break the resolve of the Hurriyat leadership, or for that matter, the people of Kashmir, who are demanding their fundamental right to self-determination’.