Waiving of Pakistani flags is not criminal offence: Hurriyat

Srinagar, May 3: Hardline Hurriyat Conference today claimed that waving Pakistani flags did not constitute a criminal offence and termed as "sheer frustration" Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's statement about taking action over the incident.

"According to ruling of the state High Court passed in 1983, waving Pakistani flag does not fall in the ambit of any (criminal) offence. Waving of a flag cannot be treated as declaring war against any country," Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar said in a statement here.

"We make it clear that we only wave flags of our amalgam but some enthusiastic youth wave Pakistani flags as well, which is nothing new," he said while referring to the incident that took place during a public meeting of Hurriyat chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani few days back.

The spokesman argued that the 'Crescent and Star' was common in the Pakistani flag as well as that of Hurriyat Conference which "is a mere coincidence as these symbols have long been associated with Islam".

On the Chief Minister's statement yesterday that action will be taken, the spokesman said, "Sayeed's statement that action will be taken against Geelani (for flag waving) is sheer frustration."

He said Sayeed "knows it very well that it (waving of Pakistani flag) is nothing new. Whenever Pakistan cricket team wins a match, the flags are waved and fire-crackers are burst.

PTI