Mirwaiz placed under house arrest, no relief for Geelani

Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq was put under house arrest to prevent him from addressing Friday congregation at the shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Noorudin Noorani at Charar-e-Shareef in central Kashmir. Meanwhile, restrictions on hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani continued from last about one-and-a-half years. “Mirwaiz was again put under house arrest early this morning,” a moderate HC spokesman told UNI.

He said a large number of security forces and state police personnel were deployed outside the Nigeen house of the Mirwaiz to prevent him from moving out. “He was placed under house arrest to prevent him from addressing Friday congregation at the shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Noorudin Noorani,” the spokesperson added. A spokesperson of hardline HC said Mr Geelani remained under house arrest since his return from Delhi in April last year. “Mr Geelani has not even been allowed to offer Friday and Eid prayers in a mosque during his time,” he added.

However, there were no restrictions on Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Mohammad Yasin Malik, who was released on October 14 after remained lodged in Central Jail Srinagar for about nine days. Malik was released from jail after a local court granted him bail.