Srinagar, May 21, KNT: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday said he had been placed under house arrest and alleged that authorities prevented people from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada at Eidgah to pay tributes on the anniversary of the Hawal killings and the death anniversaries of separatist leaders Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone.
In a statement posted on social media, Mirwaiz described May 21 as a painful reminder in Kashmir’s history and paid tribute to Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq, referring to him as a leader whose killing deeply impacted people across the Valley.
He also recalled the Hawal incident that followed Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq’s killing, saying more than 70 mourners were killed and hundreds injured.
Mirwaiz further linked the date to the killing of Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone, saying another “sane voice” was silenced on the same day years later.
Alleging restrictions on commemorative gatherings, Mirwaiz said authorities had prevented people from expressing sentiments and offering tributes to what he described as the martyrs of Hawal and their leaders.
“Today even individually people are disallowed from going to Mazar-e-Shuhada Eidgah to offer Fatiha prayers, while I am under house arrest since yesterday evening,” Mirwaiz said in the post.
He criticized what he termed intimidation and restrictions, asserting that such measures would not erase the memory or public regard associated with the deceased leaders.
The remarks came on a day historically marked in Kashmir by remembrance events linked to the killing of Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq in 1990 and the subsequent Hawal firing incident, as well as the assassination of Abdul Ghani Lone in 2002.
May 21 has remained a politically and emotionally significant date in Kashmir, often accompanied by commemorations, security measures and competing political narratives surrounding memory, mourning and public gatherings. [KNT]
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