HC chairman Omar remains under house arrest in Kashmir

Srinagar, Nov 16 (UNI) Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq remained under house arrest while more than 100 other senior and second rank separatist leaders were already behind the bars to minimise the assembly poll boycott, called by the Coordination Committee (CC), spearheading the agitation in Kashmir.

A HC spokesman Shahidul Islam told UNI that a large number of security forces and police remained deployed outside the Nigeen residence of Mirwaiz Omar to prevent him from going out.

He said Mirwaiz is under house arrest since Tuesday and he was not allowed to offer Friday prayers in the historic Jamia masjid where he was to deliver poll boycott address.

Mr Islam said the hurriyat chairman was informed that he cannot leave his residence till further orders.

Mirwaiz was also not allowed to visit United States where he was invited for a conference.

Almost all senior separatist leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yaseen Malik, Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Aiyaz Akbar, Ghulam Rasool Dar, two acting chairmen of breakaway HC, president of Jamait-ul-Ahalhadee (JuA) Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah and about 100 other separatists were arrested by the security forces and police during the past three months.

Majority of them were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) and lodged in outside the valley jails.

The CC, an alliance of both the factions of HC, Kashmir Bar Association, traders and fruit growers besides other separatist organisations, were demanding, reopening of all cross-Line of Control (LoC) routes, withdrawal of troops and special powers to security forces and release of all detenues.

The CC has also appealed people to boycott the polls in the state, saying these will not help to resolve the vexed Kashmir issue.

UNI BAS SV KP1635