IIOJK authorities put Mirwaiz under house arrest for second consecutive day
Senior APHC leader slams continued house arrest and mosque closures
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, authorities have placed senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest for the second consecutive day, barring him from attending Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the IIOJK administration had confined him to his home the previous day, preventing his participation in Shab-e-Barat.
In a statement issued in Srinagar, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the ongoing house arrests and the prevention of performing essential religious duties. He revealed that, in addition to his house arrest on Shab-e-Barat, the Jamia Masjid was sealed, denying the community access to the mosque. He stressed that the frequent closure of Jamia Masjid, which holds immense religious significance for Kashmiri Muslims, is causing severe distress to the entire community and deeply harming their religious sentiments. He urged the occupation authorities to end the repeated house arrests and to cease sealing the mosque.
Mirwaiz also mentioned that a large number of forces’ personnel had been placed around his residence, and he was informed that his life was under serious threat, with all his movements restricted by authorities’ approval. He questioned the logic behind being denied access to the Jamia Masjid despite being provided with extensive security. “If the government has given me such security, why am I being prevented from going to the mosque? Can individuals who are given security not move freely?” he asked. Mirwaiz appealed to the authorities to respect his freedoms and rights and allow him to attend the Jamia Masjid without further hindrance. KMS-14S
