People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Lone and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were placed under house arrest on the death anniversaries of their fathers, Abdul Gani Lone and Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq.
Abdul Gani Lone was killed on May 21, 2002, while Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq was killed on the same date in 1990.
Lone and Mirwaiz condemned their house arrest, saying they were not allowed to pay tributes at the Martyrs’ Graveyard, Eidgah, where both leaders are buried.
“I, along with my colleagues at the J&K PC, were to go to the Martyrs’ Graveyard today to offer Fateh for my father, who was martyred 22 years ago on May 21 by terrorists. But the police came early in the morning and informed me that I have been placed under house arrest. We had planned a similar gathering at the Handwara office. This office has also been put out of bounds by the police,” Sajjad Lone wrote on X.
Mirwaiz Manzil also posted a similar message. “Ahead of Fatiha Khwani at Martyrs’ Graveyard, Eidgah, Srinagar, @MirwaizKashmir Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest late last evening, while access to the Mazar-e-Shuhada, Eidgah has also been restricted by the authorities since yesterday,” it said.
PC spokesman Salman Bukhari condemned the house arrest of Sajjad Lone. “House arresting a political leader on the death anniversary of his father raises serious questions about democratic space and political freedoms. Whether one agrees or disagrees politically, remembrance and paying tribute should never become a matter of restriction. Democracy becomes stronger through engagement, not confinement,” Bukhari said.
Former J&K chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti paid tributes to both leaders, saying they laid down their lives for the cause of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Remembering with immense respect the late Molvi Mohammed Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone saheb on their martyrdom anniversary. Their supreme sacrifice reminds us of their commitment and contribution to the cause of Jammu and Kashmir. As we pay tribute to them, we renew our pledge to the restoration of our constitutional rights, lasting peace with dignity, and creation of a welfare state free of fear and intimidation,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said in a statement.