Latest news with #Farooq
Hindustan Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ahead of July 13 Martyrs' Day, Hurriyat Conference chief put under house arrest
Ahead of Martyrs' Day on July 13, Hurriyat Conference chairman and chief cleric of Jamia Masjid Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq was put under house arrest and wasn't allowed to lead Friday prayers at city's grand Jamia Masjid. Farooq asked the government to remove restrictions on him so that he can pay homage to July 13 martyrs. (PTI file photo) Farooq asked the government to remove restrictions on him so that he can pay homage to July 13 martyrs. 'Disallowed to go to Jama Masjid today, put under house arrest, fearing the mention of the martyrs of 13th July 1931 in my Friday sermon! The sacrifice of these martyrs and all the martyrs since, is etched in the collective memory of Kashmir and cannot not be undone by restrictions and bans. No living nation can forget the supreme sacrifice of life of its martyrs against tyranny and injustice,' Farooq wrote on X. He said restrictions should be removed and people be allowed to peacefully pay homage to the martyrs of July 13. 'If allowed as per our tradition, we will visit the martyrs' graveyard on July 13 after Zuhr prayers and pay homage to the revered martyrs,' he said. National Conference chief spokesman and legislator Tanvir Sadiq termed Mirwaiz's detention unfortunate. 'It's deeply unfortunate and unacceptable that @MirwaizKashmir Umar Farooq Sahab has once again been detained at home prevented from fulfilling his religious duties. Silencing a religious leader, especially a day before 13th July, dishonours not just his voice but the legacy of our martyrs,' he wrote on X. He said July 13, 1931, was a turning point in Kashmir's history a brave stand against tyranny and injustice. 'No bans or restrictions can erase the memory of that sacrifice. Kashmir will always honour its martyrs with dignity, peace, and truth.' July 13 was observed as Martyrs' Day in the erstwhile state of J&K in memory of 21 Kashmiris who were killed by the army of Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh during an uprising in 1931 when the region was a princely state. Before 2019, Kashmir would observe a shutdown every year on the day in memory of the martyrs, venerated by both mainstream politicians as well as separatists.
Scroll.in
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Kashmir's chief cleric says he was detained at home ahead of Martyrs' Day
Kashmir's chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday claimed that he was detained at his home and not allowed to offer prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar. In a post on X, Farooq alleged that the action was taken due to fear that he would mention the Kashmir Martyrs' Day, observed on July 13, in his Friday sermon. July 13 is marked as Martyrs' Day to honour the 22 persons who were shot dead outside the Srinagar Central Jail by the armed forces of Dogra ruler Hari Singh in 1931. It was dropped as a public holiday after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government abrogated Article 370 in August 2019, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the abrogation, the Centre had also taken out the birth and death anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah, the founder of the ruling National Conference, from the official list of holidays. On Friday, Farooq said that the sacrifice of the '[22] martyrs and all the martyrs since' was etched in Kashmir's collective memory and could not be 'undone' by restrictions or bans. 'No living nation can forget the supreme sacrifice of life of its martyrs against tyranny and injustice,' he said. The Hurriyat Conference leader urged the authorities in the Union Territory to remove the restrictions and allow residents to 'peacefully pay homage to the martyrs of July 13'. His remarks came a day after several regional parties in the Union Territory, including the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, demanded the resumption of the official ceremony to commemorate July 13 as Martyrs' Day, The Hindu reported. The National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir has also written to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to re-incorporate July 13 and Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary as official holidays, party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar told The Hindu. 'Besides, the NC has sought formal permission from the administration to allow a delegation headed by party general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar to visit the graveyard where the martyrs of 1931 are buried in the old city on July 13,' he added. On the other hand, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said that the proposal floated by the Omar Abdullah government would have 'carried weight' if the speaker in the Assembly had supported her party's earlier resolution for the day to be reinstated. 'The speaker's outright rejection of the resolution was unexpected and disappointing,' the newspaper quoted Mufti as saying. 'Today's exercise looks more like lip service than any serious effort.' The Opposition party also held a meeting at its headquarters to announce its decision to visit the martyrs' graveyard, also known as Mazar-e-Shuhada, on Monday to pay tribute to them, The Hindu reported. 'July 13 is a reminder of the people's struggle against tyranny and injustice,' party leader Sartaj Madni said.
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Electoral reforms can't be called Unconstitutional: Kavinder
Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta on Tuesday slammed National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah for terming the Election Commission's special electoral roll revision in Bihar as 'anti-Constitutional', saying such statements are not only irresponsible but also expose the NC leader's deliberate attempts to mislead the public and undermine the democratic process. Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta. (File) In a statement issued here, Gupta said it is unfortunate that a senior politician like Farooq, who has held key constitutional positions, is now resorting to provocative and misleading narratives only to gain political mileage. 'Calling a routine electoral revision 'anti-Constitutional' is not just factually incorrect but a direct insult to the authority and autonomy of the Election Commission of India (ECI),' he stated. He reminded the NC leader that the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar is a much-needed and long-overdue exercise, the last such revision having taken place in 2003. 'In the past two decades, Bihar has witnessed massive urbanisation, internal migration, and demographic shifts. The ECI has rightly decided to clean up outdated voter lists to ensure only eligible citizens are registered and to eliminate bogus entries — something every responsible citizen should welcome,' he said. The senior BJP leader added that the move is in line with the commission's mandate to maintain free, fair, and transparent elections and has nothing to do with pleasing any so-called 'master', as alleged by Farooq. 'Such statements are deeply disrespectful to democratic institutions and reflect the frustration of a party that has lost ground across the nation,' he said. Taking strong exception to Farooq's call for an agitation to 'save the Constitution', Kavinder said, 'It is ironic that leaders who remained silent when Article 370 was misused to discriminate against Indian citizens are now preaching constitutional morality. The people of India know who stood for the Constitution and who abused it for dynastic politics.'
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Business Standard
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
US strikes on Iran pushing the West Asia to chaos, says Mirwaiz Farooq
Unless justice is delivered to the people of #Palestine, security of middle eastern nations will remain uncertain, the region volatile and the world unstable. he said. Press Trust of India Srinagar Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Sunday condemned the US attacks on Iran, saying the American and Israeli aggression against Tehran has "further pushed the Middle East to the edge of destruction and chaos". "Violating all international rules, after Israel US aggression on Iran has further pushed the Middle East to the edge of destruction and chaos. We strongly condemn it," he said in a post on X. Farooq said the "military strength cannot guarantee immunity, nor bombs and blockades protection". "Unless justice is delivered to the people of #Palestine, security of middle eastern nations will remain uncertain, the region volatile and the world unstable. And Dialogue is the way to resolutions and peace," he added.
Mint
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Farooq Abdullah: Restoring J&K statehood a constitutional right, not a concession - ‘to fly a kite without wind'
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah has said the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood is not a concession but a constitutional right. Addressing a meeting of NC workers in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, the former chief minister called for an immediate return to full democratic authority in the region. "Restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood is not a concession but a constitutional right. Statehood is not a gift, it is the people's right, long overdue and repeatedly promised by the ruling government," he said. Farooq is a three-time chief minister of the erstwhile state, a former Member of Parliament (MP) and ex-Union Minister. The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government has promised the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. On June 6, Farooq Abdullah's son, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, raised the issue of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the flagging off of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden train to Kashmir in Katra, the pilgrim town in Jammu. 'There are four persons on this stage who were present at the inauguration of the Katra railway station (in 2014). You had just won the election, becoming the Prime Minister for the first time. MoS in PMO Jitendra Singh was present then, and our LG Manoj Sinha sahib was MoS Railways, and I was here as chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,' Omar said while PM was on stage. "If you see, by the blessings of Mata (Vaishno Devi) Sinhaji has got a promotion (LG now) and I had a demotion. I was chief minister of a state and now I am a CM of the UT. However, I believe that it will not take long to rectify it .... Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your watch only," Omar Abdullah said. At the meeting on Wednesday, however, senior Abdullah assured party workers that the NC government in Jammu and Kashmir is prioritising these challenges. Farooq also criticised Jammu and Kashmir's union territory status as a bottleneck to real governance. "Jammu and Kashmir is vast, not just in land but in its layered culture. Governing it under the limited framework of a union territory is like trying to fly a kite without wind," he said. Governing it under the limited framework of a union territory is like trying to fly a kite without wind.
