Srinagar, June 3
Infighting has broken out in the already divided separatist camp as pro-independence JKLF chief Yasin Malik today lashed out at the moderate Hurriyat faction and its leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq accusing them of being “hypocrites” protecting India’s interests and also claiming to struggle against it.

Malik’s fiery comment against moderate Hurriyat faction is indicative of one of the worst infightings of recent years within the separatist camp, which suffered a vertical split among the hardliners and moderates a decade ago.

“This forum (moderate Hurriyat) claims to be the spokesman of Kashmir’s freedom movement, but the truth is that in the garb of this movement, they have built huge mansions and secured benefits,” Malik said in a scathing attack targeting the moderates.

Malik became furious after he was barred from speaking at a function to commemorate death anniversary of Iranian revolutionary leader Imam Khomeini at the University of Kashmir. The event was organised by Anjuman-e-Shar-i-Shia, a constituent of moderate Hurriyat. The JKLF chief alleged Mirwaiz, along with other moderate Hurriyat leaders, took the decision to disallow him from speaking to “please the rulers”.

In a statement issued later in the evening, Malik accused the moderate Hurriyat leaders of playing a double-game.

“These people are claiming to run the (separatist) movement and at the same time they are deeply engrossed in defending India’s interests,” Malik said.

“Today, the Mirwaiz (led) Hurriyat organised this event in memory of the great personality (Imam Khomeini), but backed the oppressors and thus it has proved that under the garb of talking about Hussainiyat (the idea of sacrifice), they are supporting oppression,” the JKLF chief said.

Malik termed the moderate Hurriyat faction as “fake separatists” and accused them of building shopping complexes with the money meant for the separatist movement.

This is not the first infighting within the separatist camp. Last week, senior separatist leader Shabbir Shah ordered his representative and Hurriyat convener in Pakistan to step down following which moderate Hurriyat had been mulling “expelling” Shah from the faction. In May 2012, supporters of the rival moderate Hurriyat leaders clashed and raised slogans against each other outside the faction’s Raj Bagh headquarters.

The first major split in the separatist Hurriyat Conference occurred in September 2003 when hardliners led by Syed Ali Geelani broke away after months of internal squabbling and formed a new faction. Since then, the two Hurriyat factions have never been able to mend their relation.