All Parties Hurriyat Conference’s senior leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, today criticized the BJP-led Indian government’s ongoing illegal and undemocratic actions in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that these actions contradict official claims of restoring normalcy in the territory.

According to a Kashmir Media Service report, Mirwaiz, who was placed under house arrest in Srinagar yesterday and prevented from attending Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid, issued a statement highlighting the recent surge in detentions and harassment of ordinary citizens across towns and villages and Srinagar city as assembly elections approach. “People, especially political workers, and youth are being harassed and asked to report to police stations, seeking surety bonds from them,” he added.

He expressed concern over the growing number of people on detention lists in various police stations and fears that they may be unjustly charged under draconian laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). “There is fear among those being detained and those whose names are in these lists that they will be booked under the draconian PSA and the UAPA,” he said. He called for an immediate halt to such actions, urging the occupation authorities to stop persecuting people through these repressive measures.

Mirwaiz also condemned his ongoing house arrest, calling it arbitrary and undemocratic. He noted that his house arrest since September 2 has obstructed his ability to perform religious duties, including attending Friday prayers. Additionally, he revealed that, as the patron of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema in IIOJK, he was barred from participating in a critical meeting concerning the Indian government’s controversial amendments to the Waqf Bill.

Mirwaiz lamented that while the Indian government claims to have restored normalcy in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, these illegal actions starkly contradict their assertions.