KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has extended an official invitation to the Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to attend the 42nd foreign ministers meeting of Islamic countries, but the cleric is unlikely to attend the meet owing to his ‘hold-up’ passport.
The Hurriyat (M) spokesman said that the Indian authorities have denied Mirwaiz the passport for the past three years due to which “he hasn’t been able to participate in the OIC summit and other international fora to which he is invited”.
The spokesman said OIC meeting would be held on May 27 and May 28 in Kuwait, adding, since Hurriyat has an observer’s status in OIC, Mirwaiz has several times attended the meetings of OIC and its Kashmir Contact Group and raised the Kashmir issue at the international forum in its proper historical context.
Meanwhile the spokesman has strongly condemned the vindictive arrest spree of youth in old city by police during nocturnal raids. “The admission of police chief that they intend to arrested hundreds of youth after identification was not only undemocratic and vengeful, but a clear reflection of the policy of political vendetta and intolerance,” the spokesman said.
He said that the people in general and the youth in particular have been the target of “state sponsored oppression” for past 25 years “but despite such measures by the police, it has failed to douse the spirit for attaining freedom among the youth”.
While reacting to PDP general secretary Nizamudin Bhat’s statement wherein he had told a group of relief seeking women to ask help from Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the spokesman said it is a frank admission of the failure of government to provide even basic aid and assistance to the problem ridden people of Jammu and Kashmir. “The Mirwaiz family has all along provided guidance and support to the people of the valley in all fields of social, educational, religious and even economic spheres and the people of the valley have tremendous regard and respect for them,” he said.
When the devastating flood struck Kashmir last year and government completely disappeared from the scene, he said, Mirwaiz as chief cleric of Kashmir and head of Dar-ul-Khair Mirwaiz Manzil took it upon himself to provide relief and rehabilitation to the flood stricken people of Kashmir. Mirwaiz has even undertaken construction of houses for the most needy, the spokesman said: “Mirwaiz in keeping with the tradition of his family will continue to fulfill his social, educational and religious responsibilities towards the people of the state.”
