The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha on Friday said that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the head of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, was not under house arrest.
In an interview with BBC Hindi, LG Sinha said, “The security personnel had been stationed around his home in Srinagar to ensure his safety.”
However, All Party Hurriyat Conference strongly condemned the remarks and said that such blatant misrepresentation of facts and denial of his incarceration is unbelievable.
“Mirwaiz for the last three years has forcibly not been allowed to come out of his house despite repeated appeals and implorations from all sections of people to the authorities, including religious ulemas across the state.”
In a statement issued to a local news agency, Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the APHC said that if the authorities now want to release Mirwaiz it is welcome, but giving such misleading statements to save face, is mischievous.
“Being the Mirwaiz he is even stopped from going to Jamia Masjid on Fridays to deliver religious sermons from its pulpit which is the centuries old tradition in J&K, or to visit other religious places on important religious occasions. Except close relatives no one is allowed to enter the house.”