Leaders arrested

Malik, Zaffar arrested ahead of Lal Chowk march
October 6 Greater Kashmir

Mirwaiz, Sajad put under house arrest, Geelani stable

GK NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar, Oct 5: Ahead of Lal Chowk march, police arrested the chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Muhammad Yasin Malik and senior Hurriyat(M) leader Zaffar Akbar Bhat, while many pro-freedom leaders, including Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone, were put under house arrest since Saturday evening.
A JKLF spokesman said a policemen and paramilitary CRPF troopers raided the Maisuma residence of Malik last night after he visited the historic Lal Chowk yesterday to see the arrangements for Monday’s Lal chowk chalo march.
The spokesman said Malik, who was heading the committees formed by the Coordination Committee (CC), spearheading the present agitation in the Kashmir valley, for the march was taken to an unknown destination.
The vice chairman of the front advocate Bashir Ahmed Bhat strongly condemned the arrest of Malik and termed it undemocratic .
This was for the second time police arrested Malik on Lal Chowk march issue. On August 25, when the CC had appealed the people to reach Lal Chowk, Malik was arrested after he violated the curfew restriction and tried to march towards Lal Chowk.
He and other senior pro-freedom leaders including chairmen on both Hurriyat factions Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were released after about one week.
Police on Sunday arrested senior Hurriyat (M) leader Zaffar Akbar Bhat from city outskirts here. Hurriyat insiders said that Bhat was arrested from Natipora when he was on way to his residence to Bagh-e-Mehtab. Bhat was taken to an unknown destination.
Meanwhile top ranking Hurriyat (M) leaders, including the chairman of the conglomerate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, were put under house arrest on Sunday.
Media advisor to Hurriyat, Shahid-ul-Islam told Greater Kashmir that Mirwaiz, Aga Syed Hassan Al Mousvi, Bilal Gani Lone, Moulana Abbas Ansari and Professor Abdul Gani Bhat were placed under house arrest this morning.
Islam termed their arrest as “undemocratic” and described the clamping of curfew ahead of Lal Chowk march as “unjustified.”
Chairman of Peoples Conference Sajad Gani Lone was also put under house arrest on Sunday.
A spokesman of the party said, “Policemen and paramilitary CRPF troopers cordoned off Sajad’s residence at Rawalpora this morning and informed him that he was under house arrest.”
A spokesman of JKLF (R) said that police raided the houses of the chief spokesman of the front Rasik Khurshid and district president of the front for Kupwara Abdur Rasheed Bhat. “Police and troopers are harassing the front activists throughout the Valley,” the spokesman alleged.
Geelani stable
Condition of the Hurriyat (G ) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was shifted to SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Saturday night, was stated to be stable on Sunday.
Family members of the veteran pro-freedom leader told Greater Kashmir, “ Doctors have described his condition as stable.”
Geelani was shifted to SKIMS after he complained about severe chest pain.