Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Placed Under House Arrest Amid Rising Tensions

Srinagar (The Uttam Hindu): Senior religious leader and separatist Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest in J&K's Srinagar on Friday to prevent him from delivering the weekly sermon at the Jamia Mosque in the old city, sources close to the cleric claimed.

Although there has been no official word on it, sources in the Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam, the socio-religious organisation headed by Mirwaiz Umar, said he had been placed under house arrest in his Nigeen residence on the outskirts of the city. The sources said a posse of police posted outside his house refused to let the Mirwaiz move outside his house.

Mirwaiz Umar has been in house arrest most of the time since 2019 and his weekly sermons at the Jamia Mosque take place only when he is allowed to move out of his home. The administration has not issued any statement on whether the Mirwaiz is under house arrest or not. The separate conglomerate, All Parties Hurriyat Conference was formed in 1993 and Mirwaiz Umar was chosen as its first Chairman. Senior hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani formed his own Hurriyat group in September 2003.

Mirwaiz Umar, however, continued to lead his own group of the conglomerate. He also heads Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam which manages the affairs of the Jamia Masjid in the old city's Nowhatta area in addition to running the historic Islamia School in Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar. In 1899, the then Mirwaiz, Molvi Rasool Shah formed this organisation. The organisation, started in a cottage, later became a prominent educational organisation that imparted both secular and religious education to Kashmiris. In addition to his religious duties, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been closely associated with social and educational work. He himself had schooling in the Christian missionary Burnhall School in Srinagar.