Mirwaiz attacked by Hindu extremists
The APHC leaders were at a conference where Mirwaiz was delivering a speech on Kashmir and Indo-Pak relations.
CHANDIGARH:
All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Bilal Lone were attacked by members of Hindu extremist organisations of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Kashmiri Pundits and RSS in Chandigarh on Thursday. Mirwaiz was in Chandigarh to address a seminar on Pakistan-India relations and Kashmir.
Commotion broke out when the group barged into the hall and rushed to the dais where Mirwaiz and other APHC leaders were seated, eyewitnesses said. Pandemonium broke out inside the hall for half an hour as protesters shouted slogans against Mirwaiz, APHC and Pakistan. Later, the police escorted Mirwaiz to his car and arrested the miscreants.
A representative of Mirwaiz in Pakistan and senior APHC leader, Faiz Ahmed Naqashbandi, said that Indian intelligence agencies were involved in the attack on Mirwaiz. “Hindu terrorist and extremist organisations are taking dictation from Indian intelligence agencies in this regard,” he said. “Attacks on Kashmiri leaders are to silence their voices against the brutality of Indian forces’ in Indian Kashmir.”
Meanwhile, tension gripped parts of Srinagar as news of the attack on Mirwaiz spread with groups of youth taking to streets shouting pro-Mirwaiz slogans. Shopkeepers in Rajouri Kadal, Nowhatta and Nallahmar downed their shutters and traffic went off roads.
“I am not hurt. I am totally fine. We were sitting there to discuss things. If they had something to share, then they should have raised the issue and it could have been debated. For every problem there is a solution and that was the main aim of this round table conference,” Mirwaiz said.
“There are many forces who are trying to mislead the people but we will continue our efforts. People of India have a big stake in the Kashmir issue and they have to come up to solve this problem. We will go to various places and present the real picture of Kashmir,” APHC chief added. The APHC has started a campaign to apprise the people of India about the gross human rights violations being committed by Indian troops across the Valley and need for resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo has denounced the attack. “It is a negation of human rights and moral values. It proves India’s claim to democracy as false and reveals its true face as being unworthy of a permanent seat in the UN Security Council,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2010.
All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Bilal Lone were attacked by members of Hindu extremist organisations of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Kashmiri Pundits and RSS in Chandigarh on Thursday. Mirwaiz was in Chandigarh to address a seminar on Pakistan-India relations and Kashmir.
Commotion broke out when the group barged into the hall and rushed to the dais where Mirwaiz and other APHC leaders were seated, eyewitnesses said. Pandemonium broke out inside the hall for half an hour as protesters shouted slogans against Mirwaiz, APHC and Pakistan. Later, the police escorted Mirwaiz to his car and arrested the miscreants.
A representative of Mirwaiz in Pakistan and senior APHC leader, Faiz Ahmed Naqashbandi, said that Indian intelligence agencies were involved in the attack on Mirwaiz. “Hindu terrorist and extremist organisations are taking dictation from Indian intelligence agencies in this regard,” he said. “Attacks on Kashmiri leaders are to silence their voices against the brutality of Indian forces’ in Indian Kashmir.”
Meanwhile, tension gripped parts of Srinagar as news of the attack on Mirwaiz spread with groups of youth taking to streets shouting pro-Mirwaiz slogans. Shopkeepers in Rajouri Kadal, Nowhatta and Nallahmar downed their shutters and traffic went off roads.
“I am not hurt. I am totally fine. We were sitting there to discuss things. If they had something to share, then they should have raised the issue and it could have been debated. For every problem there is a solution and that was the main aim of this round table conference,” Mirwaiz said.
“There are many forces who are trying to mislead the people but we will continue our efforts. People of India have a big stake in the Kashmir issue and they have to come up to solve this problem. We will go to various places and present the real picture of Kashmir,” APHC chief added. The APHC has started a campaign to apprise the people of India about the gross human rights violations being committed by Indian troops across the Valley and need for resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo has denounced the attack. “It is a negation of human rights and moral values. It proves India’s claim to democracy as false and reveals its true face as being unworthy of a permanent seat in the UN Security Council,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2010.