SRINGAR: Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was detained and released after two hours on Thursday, condemned the Indian-held Kashmir government for this act and called it regretful.
Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, along with other Kashmiri leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik, was put under house arrest a day after Pakistan invited them for a meeting ahead of national security advisor (NSA)-level talks.
The talk is to be held on August 23-24 in New Delhi. Farooq said that there was no word from the state government regarding the house arrest.
“I don’t even know that we were house-arrested this morning, nor did anyone tell us anything or the reason why we were released later. This is not a new thing for us that we are kept under house arrest or not allowed to offer our prayers, among many other things. There are a few Hurriyat people who are kept under house arrest for months. I think it is a regretful act to stop Hurriyat leaders from going to Delhi and have a talk with Pakistan. This is a very negative thinking,” said Farooq from his house in Srinagar. Farooq criticised the federal government for blocking talks with Pakistan.