“There is race to take credit for release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq…”: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 22 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that there is a race to take credit for the release of Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who was released after 4 years of house arrest.

“The Government of India made a big mistake after 2019 by putting our religious leaders in jail or under house arrest. Like Mirwaiz, Umar Farooq was put under house arrest and Jammu and Kashmir LG kept on saying that he was not under house arrest. Now that he has been released they (BJP government) have corrected their mistake…There is a race as to who would take credit for the release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,” Mufti said.

Farooq was released from house arrest on Friday, four years after he was taken into detention in the wake of abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is the son of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq who was killed on May 21, 1990, by terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen.

Earlier in May this year, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said that the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two absconding terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen in the case.

The arrested terrorists Javaid Ahmad Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat were residents of Srinagar. They were absconding after murdering Mirwaiz Farooq on May 21, 1990.