Refuting the defamatory allegations leveled by a private TV channel, Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Saturday dared the media channel to prove its honesty by substantiating evidence against him.

“I refute the defamatory allegations leveled by TV channel that I have amassed illegal wealth or made aggrandizement by constructing shops in Jamia Masjid area or misappropriated through the agencies of Auqaf Trusts,” Mirwaiz said during a session addressed to the media via internet.

Notably, Police according to the Hurriyat (M) statement foiled the news conference of Mirwaiz by disallowing media to enter his Nigeen residence in Srinagar.

Following the foiling of presser, Mirwaiz took to social networking sites to refute the allegations.

He said that Government of India and the Indian media have embarked on a consistent policy of playing intricate mind games with all those who consider rational that Kashmir is a dispute requiring resolution.

 “Resolution is a wide term with wide connotations and among it inclusive dialogue among all stakeholders can be a conducive way forward. However, to subvert this possibility political strategists have now advised the pre-eminent political class in India to embark upon intricate mind games,” he said.

Mirwaiz said that the first step in this direction is the ploy to reduce the Kashmiri Political leadership in their scope and stature to play any role in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

“For that the NIA has been roped in to frame the pro-freedom leadership through fabricated charges into a legal tangle. The India media is being utilized to facilitate that process further through a sustained and vicious campaign of spreading lies about the pro-freedom leadership and distorting facts. In this regard a media channel has since yesterday crossed all limits and launched a tirade of defamatory broadcasts with a tendentious motive to defame me both as the religious head of the Muslim community in J&K and as an independent head of a political party with a definite political ideology. Even members of my family are being dragged into this vortex of lies and preposterous allegations, which is extremely deplorable to say the least,” he said.

“I in order to keep the record straight, hereby refute all defamatory allegations that I have amassed illegal wealth or made aggrandizement by constructing shops in Jamia Masjid area or misappropriated through the agencies of Auqaf Trusts, any financial resources as attributed by the Indian media including CNNIBN. To tarnish my image, false, malicious and virulent propaganda imputing dishonest and underhand dealings to me is being deliberately spread,” he added.

Mirwaiz further said that “Let me put the record straight.”

In 1970, Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid was formed by my late father with a view to restore the mosque to its glory. It was decided that public donations were not enough for this purpose. To meet the needful resources around 200 shops were built in the vicinity of the mosque the rental income from which would sustain the maintenance and upkeep of the mosque. And since then the rental income from these shops is not only used towards the mosque but also distributed among the poor especially the widows and destitute women on a monthly basis. All the financial records are strictly maintained and audited every year and every penny being accounted for. Anybody can check the records as it is absolutely transparent. To suggest that any money from the Auqaf is being used by my person or to support stone pelting or damaging schools is most ridiculous!

As for Islamia High School Islamabad it was a part of schools run by Anjuman Nusratul Islam but during my fathers time only the management of the school was handed over to a local trust. The income from the rentals of the shops owned by the school goes to the trust for the running of the school and I have no role in the financial matters of the school. Let it be verified.

Mirwaiz Rasool Shah R.A. under aegis of Anjuman Nusratul Islam in 1899 took the first big step in the field of education and literacy for the people of Kashmir by setting up a chain of schools across the valley. These schools which I as the President of the Anjuman head are being run by a team of selfless and dedicated board of members, which mostly cater to poor segment of society where hundreds of orphans and children of the martyrs get free education. To make such wild allegations that I will use money from these institutions to burn schools it can’t get more preposterous.

There is no property in Ali masjid, Nawab bazaar and Nishat that is owned by me as the channel claims.

“As for involving my family members who are settled outside is concerned, they like other Kashmiris settled outside are hard working people earning an honest living. To associate them with managing my imaginary real estate businesses is highly condemnable and invites strong legal action against the channel. As you all are aware, half of my family was exiled to Pakistan at the time of the partition. It is but natural that family members will visit to meet each other especially when marriages within the family have taken place. To accuse family members visiting relations in Pakistan of getting bag full of funds from there is both absurd and laughable.”

“As for my assets and income, I live in a house built by my father in 1978 with my mother. My father in 1980 had built a line of 17 shops in Rajouri kadal. A building atop the shops was rented out by him to the J&K bank. Rentals from both the bank and the shops is shared by his children after his death in 1990. In 1992, I built six shops in lal bazaar area the rentals from which go to my bank account. My other source of income is earnings through Nikah ceremonies which I preside over and through Waaz and Tabligh Majlis where I deliver religious sermons and through gifts I receive in cash and kind from my murids. I have no other source of income or properties other than what I have mentioned, anywhere in the world.”

“I challenge the channel to prove anything contrary to what I have conveyed. Let the channel substantiate with evidence their baseless allegations if it really claims to be an honest channel. The media should realize that atrocious lies will only lead to denigration of the Indian media. I have full faith in my own probity and in the trust of my people in me as I am only accountable to them and I consider it beneath my dignity to even issue a defamatory notice to the channel. The Indian media is considered by the people not only in Kashmir but in the entire subcontinent as a TRP hunting corporate commercial enterprise that has now also become a propaganda tool of the ruling political class,” he said.

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