Govt prostrates on Hurriyat ground with a blood camp
Congress Ministers’ department makes separatists’ show a big success

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 20: Hours before Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone, Farooq Ahmed, today made it publicly clear that there would be no restrictions on participation of people in the year’s biggest separatist show on the Eidgah Grounds on May 21st, two of the senior Congress leaders--- Minister of Health, Sham Lal Sharma, and Minister of Medical Education, R S Chib---mobilised their subordinate departments to make the Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s blood camp at Jamia Masjid a big success. Hurriyat’s remembrance week is concluding tomorrow on the spacious Eidgah Grounds where a separatist congregation would take a fresh oath of continuing the “freedom struggle till its logical conclusion” and pay homage to Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, who were gunned down by militants on May 21st in 1990 and 2002 respectively.

Those who personally mobilized subordinate doctors, blood banks under their command and enlisted donors of different hospitals to make the Hurriyat Chairman’s blood donation camp a remarkable success included Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mohammad Amin Wani, Director Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Dr Abdul Hamid Zargar and Principal of Government Medical College Srinagar and administrator of its associated hospitals in Srinagar, Dr Shahida Mir. Sources present on the occasion at Jamia Masjid said that over 100 pints of blood were collected in just three hours. They said that on the directions of the two Congress Ministers, entire blood bank staff of six major hospitals in Srinagar conducted the camp that had been organized by the youth wing of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s Awami Action Committee (AAC).

Sources close to Mirwaiz said that about 2500 patients were examined by the doctors and medicines worth over Rs 2.00 Lakh were distributed at the camp.

Prominent hospital administrators and noted physician and surgeons, including Dr Meraj-ud-din, Dr Gul Javed, Dr Pervaiz Koul, Dr Altaf Kawoosa, Dr Riyaz Ahmed, Dr Ramzan Mir, Dr Najeeb Drabu, Dr Massarat Shaheen, Dr Nazir Ahmed Wani and Dr Shahida Fazili, marked their attendance at the Jamia Masjid camp and supervised the blood donation operation. Government’s participation was witnessed for the first time, though AAC has been holding such camps every year in this week of May as a mark of tribute to its founder-chairman Maulvi Mohammad Farooq whose assassination took place at his Nageen house on May 21st, 1990. Over 50 of the Mirwaiz followers had subsequently died when Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) opened fire on the funeral procession near Government Islamia College of Science & Commerce at Hawal.

Striking in broad daylight on the Mirwaiz remembrance rally on the Eidgah Grounds, suspected militants later gunned down senior mainstream-turned-separatist leader and founder-chairman of Peoples Conference, Abdul Gani Lone, alongwith his armed guards on May 21st, 2002. Tombs of both, Mirwaiz Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, are among dozens of militants and civilians killed or believed to be killed and buried in Mazaar-e-shuhada (The Martyrs Graveyard) on the Eidgah Grounds. Like every year, Hurriyat is preparing to hold its biggest show at Eidgah on Friday.

Hurriyat has called for a total shutdown in the Valley on Friday and asked people to participate in the remembrance rally of the two slain leaders in large numbers. Top category protected cleric-politician, Mirwaiz is scheduled to deliver his weekly sermon and perform Friday afternoon mass prayers at Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar before leading a rally of his supporters to Eidgah Grounds. Like in the last few years, state government has decided not to enforce any restrictions on participation of people in the separatists’ rally. Amid speculations of curfew, IGP Kashmir made it publicly clear this evening that people would be free to participate in the assembly.

As part of the remembrance week events, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today led a rally of his supporters from Bachhpora to Nowshera in Soura area. Addressing the gathering, he asserted that the “freedom struggle” would be taken to its logical conclusion (Kashmir’s separation from India) and nobody would be allowed to make any comprise. “No stone will be left unturned to take the sacrifices of our one hundred thousand martyrs to a logical conclusion”, Mirwaiz said.

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