Masroor Abbas decries ban, seeks permission for traditional Ashura procession
Srinagar : All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Masroor Abbas Ansari has decried the decades-long ban and sought permission for the traditional Ashura procession on its historic route through Srinagar city.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking on the sidelines of the 8th Muharram procession, Masroor Abbas said successive regimes failed to take such a decision for 35 years.
Masroor said the community wants the 10th Muharram procession to follow along its traditional route from Abi Guzar through Lal Chowk and the inner areas of Srinagar to Zadibal, as was the practice before ban was imposed in the early 1990s. He said permission would allow mourners to exercise constitutional rights while keeping the event peaceful and disciplined.
The traditional Ashura procession was banned by the Indian authorities in the early 1990s for fear that it could transform into a large anti-India demonstration. Despite repeated appeals by religious leaders and community representatives, the ban on the historic route remains in place.
