Shutdown in old Srinagar against NIA summon to Mirwaiz

A shutdown is being observed in Srinagar’s Old City against National Investigation Agency’s summon to the Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and son of Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Mirwaiz, who is Kashmir’s chief cleric and world renowned religious scholar, and Geelani’s son Syed Naseem Geelani have been summoned to New Delhi on Monday. Authorities have also imposed strict restrictions and strengthened posse of police and CRPF along with other paramilitary forces have been deployed to prevent movement of people. Shops and other business establishments in entire downtown including Nowhatta, Rajouri Kadal, Mehraj Gunj, Rainawari, Hawal, Lal Bazar and other areas are shut while traffic through the roads was off the roads. Mahraj Gunj, Shahre Khass Traders and Manufacturers Coordination Committee and Jamia Market Traders Federation have called for complete shutdown in and around Old City Srinagar on Sunday and Monday. In a statement issued here, the Trade Bodies said such kind of ‘nefarious designs’ to intimidate the people of Kashmir will not be tolerated at all and would be resisted tooth and nail. The Trade Bodies said summoning Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Naseem Geelani was totally undemocratic and will not be tolerated by the people of Kashmir in general and the trader fraternity in particular. “The Trade Bodies said all the shops, transport, schools and offices will remain closed on Sunday and Monday against this gruesome move by the NIA.”

Mirwaiz, the head priest of Kashmir who leads prayers at Valley’s largest mosque – Jamia Masjid Srinagar, has been asked to appear before the NIA on Monday morning and Naseem on Tuesday.

This is for the first time Mirwaiz has been summoned for questioning in any case, while as Naseem had been questioned thrice by NIA so far.

On February 27, NIA carried out raids at seven places, including residences of Mirwaiz, Naseem and JKLF chief Yaseen Malik who was booked under PSA two days ago, and claimed to have recovered “incriminating documents”.

The NIA has registered the funding case in 2017. In July 2017, the probe agency had arrested several separatist leaders including Hurriyat chief Syed Ali Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah; Tehreek-e-Hurriyat’s Ayaz Akbar and Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Peer Saifullah; Shahid-ul-Islam who is from the Mirwaiz faction of the Hurriyat and Nayeem Khan of the Jammu Kashmir National Front. Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bitta Karatay was taken into custody in New Delhi.