Govt creating religious divide in JK

Srinagar, Jan 20: Cutting across party and ideological lines, political, religious and social organizations while condemning the incidents at Gojwara and Hawal areas in city urged people to remain united and alert about the vested interest who are hell bent on creating religious divide.
“First the Government bans the Muharram procession and then to divert attention, it involves its agents in stone pelting on Aushura night. This is being done to justify the ban and create impression that there is religious divide,” said Itihadul Muslimeen (JKIM) spokesman.
The Itihadul Muslimeen says that ‘shameless exercise was done by the Government in view of the recent notice issued to it by the High Court.’
“They created an artificial divide through its agents and then tomorrow they would cite this as justification in the Court to ban the Muharram procession,” the spokesman said.
The High Court on January 14 had issued notice to the State government seeking its objections on a petition filed by the Itihadul-Muslimeen which has described the ban on Muharram procession as violation of international law and had appealed the HC to quash ban orders of the State.
The single bench of Justice Muhammad Yaqoob Mir issued notice to the Financial Commissioner Home, Divisional Commissioner and District Magistrate Srinagar to file objections within two weeks to the petition.
Ithadul Muslimeen Chairman Moulana Abbas Ansari, who was under house arrest, said the government couldn’t succeed in creating division among the Muslims.
“The Government may try it again. Try to portray the incidents created by it through its agents as division among the Muslims. But they won’t succeed in their evil designs,” Ansari said appealing Muslim community to remain united and understand the conspiracies hatched against them.
The Itihadul Muslimeen Chief Patron, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari expressed deep anguish over Gojwara incident and blamed the Government for it.
“The Government of India has always wanted to create division here to subdue the freedom movement here,” he said.
Maulana Ansari called for a high level inquiry into the whole incident.
Calling for calm, the Hurriyat Conference (M) described the incidents as a conspiracy to create division in Kashmir. “Let us remain united and defeat evil designs of the enemy,” a Hurriyat spokesperson said.
“It was a deep rooted conspiracy to divide Muslims. We appeal the people to maintain peace and unmask those who are behind these clashes,” he said.
The spokesperson added that a number of senior Hurriyat leaders Sunday visited a number of localities and met people there.
The Muttaheda Majlis-e-Ulema said that the unity among the Muslims here have frightened those who have ruled here by creating division. “People should understand these saboteurs and sabotage their dangerous conspiracies,” said the spokesman of the Muttahuda Mujlis-e-Ulema.