Mirwaiz detained ahead of Shopian visit

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and several other leaders of the amalgam were detained by police today as they were heading to visit curfew-bound Shopian district.
Mirwaiz and other leaders were taken into preventive custody as soon as they came out of amalgam headquarters at Rajbagh here.
The moderate Hurriyat chairman was taken to his Nigeen residence and put under house arrest, police sources said.
Earlier, the separatist leader told reporters that members of the Executive Council and General Council of the Hurriyat had decided to visit Shopian to express solidarity with people of the south Kashmir district.

Alleging people were facing shortage of food and other essentials in Shopian, Mirwaiz said the government should withdraw the curfew there within 24 hours.
"If the government fails to do so, we will be forced to appeal to the people from all parts of Kashmir to march towards Shopian," he said.
"We will go to Shopian not only to express solidarity with the people but to break the curfew," Mirwaiz said.
"Whenever trouble erupts, the government imposes curfew. We will not accept this," he said.