Mirwaiz completes 20 months under house arrest, Hurriyat demands his release

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (HC) on Monday demanded release of its chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq who completed 20 months under house arrest.

"As the Holy fasting month of Ramdhan draws near, we are demanding release of chairman of HC Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, who is under detention for the past 20 months," a spokesman of the HC said in a statement.

He said Mirwaiz was put under house arrest on August 4, 2019 a day before Centre abrogated Article 370 and divided the Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories (UTs).

The HC said that it has been repeatedly demanding the release of Mirwaiz who is arbitrarily detained at his home, his basic human and civil rights and liberties being suspended by the state.

The statement said that as the holy month of Ramadan draws near, it once again asks the authorities to release the Mirwaiz and all the political prisoners and youth who are arbitrarily detained in various jails and detention centres across J&K and in various states of India.

The HC said that as is the centuries old tradition, its chairman being the Mirwaiz of J&K has religious obligations to be fulfilled, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan . So until he is released from home detention he cannot carry them out.

So we urge the authorities to release him and all other prisoners without delay and allow the people of Kashmir to observe the holy month of Ramadan with their loved ones and without creating obstacles and hurting the sentiments of Muslims by keeping the Mirwaiz under detention, the statement said. (UNI)