Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone on Thursday in an appeal to Home Minister Amit Shah and Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha sought release of Hurriyat and religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who is under detention for the past four years when Article 370 was abrogated.
“Humble appeal to Amit Shah sahib and Manoj Sinha sahib to please ensure that He is released as soon as possible,” tweeted Lone.
“He has himself been a victim of violence. Let it be known. There are many wars in Kashmir. And in our real war he is an unapologetic moderate”, Lone said.
Lone further tweeted, “Spare a thought for Mirwaiz Kashmir. He is under continued detention for the last four years. And none of us has talked about him. My apologies. We may differ politically but he inspires us as a religious head. A religious head who spearheaded the forces of moderation”.
“Mirwaiz Kashmir has stuck to utterances which are moderate and represent the true essence of Islam. He has religious duties. His continued incarceration is a crime against him and against all those whom he inspires at a religious level”, Lone added.
It is worth mentioning that besides being a Hurriyat leader, Mirwaiz is a prominent religious leader who delivers sermons and preaches at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid on Fridays and important occasions, including during the holy month of Ramzan.
He was detained at his house on 4 August 2019, a day ahead of the Centre abrogating the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its bifurcation into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Voices for release of Mirwaiz have been raised from time to time. The Hurriyat Conference last year demanded his release.