Woman Separatist Leader Arrested for Hosting Pakistani Flags

SRINAGAR: Police on Friday arrested woman separatist leader and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chairperson Asiya Andrabi for waving Pakistani flags in the Valley.

"Andrabi was arrested in the midnight from her residence at Soura in connection with the case registered under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities Act on August 17," a police official said.

Police had on August 17 lodged an FIR against Andrabi for waving Pakistani flags at an undisclosed place in Srinagar on Pakistan independence day on August 14 and addressing telephonically a rally organized by Jamaat-ud Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan on the same day.

Police sources said Andrabi has been lodged at Women’s Police Station at Rambagh in Srinagar.

The woman separatist leader had hoisted Pakistani flags during neighbouring country’s national day on March 23.

Andrabi, whose husband Qasim Faktoo is serving a life imprisonment, had recently called on people to defy beef ban imposed by J&K High Court in the State and sacrifice bovine animals on Eid-ul-Azha in the Valley.

In April this year, hardline separatist leader Masarat Alam was arrested for waving Pakistani flags and chanting pro-Pakistan, pro-Hafiz Saeed, pro-Lashkar-e-Toiba and anti-India slogans.

A spokesperson of Dukhtaran-e-Millat while condemning Andrabi’s arrest said she was unwell. “She was put under house arrest some days back and arrested in the mid night”.

“India and its agencies are frustrated by the fact that Andrabi is a popular leader and commands love and respect from the masses for her bold and clear stand and approach towards Kashmir issue,” she said adding police has not told her family members why she was arrested.

The spokesperson said authorities arrested her because she had asked people to defy the beef ban imposed by J&K High Court and sacrifice bovine animal on Eid. “She may also have been arrested be because she  was invited by OIC to attend the New York conference”.

Andrabi alongwith other separatist leaders have been invited by OIC to attend conference foreign ministers of member states and the meeting of Kashmir contact group at New York on the sidelines of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.