The Hindu : A witch-hunt, says Mirwaiz

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2003

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A witch-hunt, says Mirwaiz

By Shujaat Bukhari

Mirwaiz Omar Farooq addressing a press conference in Srinagar on Tuesday. — Photo: Nissar Ahmad

JAMMU FEB. 25. The former chairman of the All Party-Hurriyat Conference and Kashmir head priest, Mirwaiz Mohammad Umar Farooq, today threatened direct action if "the Government continued to target Muslim institutions". He accused the Centre of political `witch-hunt'.

The Mirwaiz, who is also the patron of the Anjuman-e-Nustraul Islam, a socio-educational organisation running many educational institutions, told presspersons in Srinagar that the Government's decision to `blacklist' the Anjuman was intended to intimidate and pressurise the leadership to give up the separatist struggle". He said they would do everything to maintain the Muslim identity of Kashmir.

He denied that the Anjuman was receiving foreign aid and said it was a welfare organisation working in the educational and social field.

The Anjuman was among 12 organisations all over the country that were blacklisted by the Centre and their foreign contribution license was withdrawn.

Pledging to continue the separatist struggle, the Mirwaiz said the BJP was targeting Muslim institutions in the country and trying to repeat the Gujarat experiment. "The BJP wants to poison the minds of the people with their brand of communal politics. They are trying to raise the tempo against the Muslims and banning their social and philanthropic institutions is a part of their game plan," he said.

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