SRINAGAR: The PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir has launched a crackdown on separatist leaders to disallow them from attending the Pakistan Day function in country’s embassy in New Delhi.
Police today arrested senior separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan from Srinagar Airport when he was on way to New Delhi to attend the Pakistan National Day function at Pakistan embassy tomorrow.
The separatist leader was lodged at a police station.
Police today also placed under house arrest Shahid-ul-Islam, spokesman of moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
Shahid too was scheduled to leave for New Delhi today to attend the Pakistan day function tomorrow.
Pakistan envoy to India had invited all top separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai to attend the Pakistan National Day function at country’s embassy in New Delhi tomorrow.
The PDP-BJP coalition government has launched a crackdown on separatist leaders. Most of the separatist leaders have either been detained or placed under house arrest to prevent from visiting New Delhi to attend Pakistan Day function.
The government has placed Geelani, Mirwaiz, Shah, Sehrai and others under house arrest. JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik has been arrested and lodged at central jail, Srinagar.
Sources said the authorities have deployed police and intelligence officials at the Srinagar airport to prevent separatists from flying to New Delhi to attend Pakistan Day function.
They said the security officials are also keeping watch on the movement of vehicular traffic on Srinagar-Jammu national highway to prevent separatists from travelling to Delhi via road.
In past, the separatist leaders have been attending the Pakistan Day function at Pakistan embassy in New Delhi.
A spokesman of hardline Hurriyat Conference said conglomerate’s chairman Syed Ali Geelani and many separatist leaders were invited by Pakistan to attend ‘Pakistan Day’ function at its High Commission in Delhi.
“However, the state authorities didn’t allow leaders to attend the event by either detaining them or placing them under house arrest,” he said.
Terming these measures as “frustration of authorities”, he said it was a routine exercise of separatist leaders to attend the function. “However, barring leadership from attending such function is extremely strange and uncalled.”