New Delhi, January 9
Hours before his departure for the USA on a visit, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Omar Farooq’s passport was suspended by the Centre on the grounds that his travel abroad was “against India’s sovereignty and national interests”.
The decision comes in the wake of alleged “vicious anti-India campaigns” by the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders at various international fora.
Reacting to the decision, Mirwaiz, the only Hurriyat leader to hold a passport, termed it politically motivated and said here that he would seek legal opinion and accordingly decide his future course of action. He said a notice was served on him last night regarding the suspension of his passport for four weeks.
The Mirwaiz had reportedly tried to influence the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in New York to impose “economic sanctions” against India for its “illegal occupation of Kashmir.”
During a visit to the USA in September last year, the Mirwaiz allegedly held several meetings in the State Department and the National Security Council, besides discussions with Pakistan Ambassador to the USA Ashraf Jehangir Qazi.
