Mirwaiz, Malik join hands

Srinagar, September 10, 2010: Srinagar: In a major development chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the JKLF chairman Yasin Malik joined hands on Friday and announced to carry forward the ongoing movement jointly.

Both the leaders while addressing the Friday congregation at historic Jamia Masjid here in old city said that they would share a common platform from today onwards and vowed to take the ongoing movement to its logical end. After offering Friday congregation prayers both the leaders led a massive procession from Jamia Masjid onwards. This is the first time that Mirwaiz and Malik shared public space since September 2003 when the then Hurriyat Conference suffered a vertical split with Syed Ali Shah Geelani floating a parallel amalgam with the support of hardline elements.

Speaking on the occasion, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq welcomed Malik’s participation in the Friday prayers at the historic mosque as “positive” response to the amalgam’s unity call. “Whenever, we have called for forging unity among the pro-freedom leadership, Yasin Malik and his party has been at the forefront,” Mirwaiz said, adding he was happy that Malik had repeated the same at “this critical juncture of the freedom movement.”Reiterating that unity was imperative was taking the martyrs’ sacrifices to the logical conclusion; Mirwaiz said his led factions of the Hurriyat Conference will double the efforts for forging unity in the pro-freedom camp after Eid-ul-Fitr. He also appealed men, women and children to march towards the Eidgah grounds tomorrow and urged people across the Valley to participating in the congregational Eid prayers at the place. In his Friday sermon at Jamia Masjid in interior city, Mirwaiz welcomed Malik saying he had "exhibited positive response" to the unity appeal at this crucial juncture.

"I am hopeful that other separatist leaders will also respond positively in the larger interest of the movement so that a consensus can be arrived at in bringing uniformity," Mirwaiz said.

Addressing the gathering, Malik also called for unity in order to achieve the goal of the ongoing movement."Today, our struggle is peaceful and if attempts are made to crush it by use of force, the youth will be forced to pick up the gun again. The responsibility for such an eventuality will rest with the government," Malik said.

Last Friday, the moderate Hurriyat had appealed for unity among separatists and sent two delegations to Geelani and Malik in this regard. Mirwaiz had requested them to offer Eid prayers at Eidgah as the first step towards unity. Although Geelani had planned to offer Eid prayers at Hazratbal, he urged the people to offer prayers at Eidgah minutes before his arrest on September eight.

After the prayers, Mirwaiz and Malik jointly led a protest march from Jamia Masjid compound to nearby Nowhatta Chowk. The protest rally dispersed off peacefully.