Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also Kashmir's head priest, on Tuesday accused social activist Anna Hazare of deviating from the principles of Gandhi when it comes to people of Kashmir.
"The values that the Anna movement came with have been diluted. Anna has left behind the real principles of Gandhi. His recent statement on Kashmir was very myopic and people of Kashmir are hurt with his remarks," said the Mirwaiz after holding a meeting with religious figures at the party headquarters Rajouri Kadal in Srinagar.
In October this year, 74-year-old Hazare described Kashmir as integral part of India and distanced himself from Team Anna member Prashant Bushan's stand on the Kashmir issue. Earlier, the Mirwaiz had sought Anna's intervention in the Kashmir problem asking him "to issue statement on alleged growing human rights abuses in the state".
On Tuesday, the Mirwaiz was quick to add: "But we are against elimination of corruption as the vice has not only infested a particular state or nation. Kashmir sees scandal surfacing in public department day in and day out," said the Mirwaiz.
The Mirwaiz on last Friday became first separatist leader to take break from the bigger issue of Kashmir and criticise the state government over rampant corruption from the pulpit of Srinagar's historic mosque Jamia Masjid.
{{/usCountry}}The Mirwaiz on last Friday became first separatist leader to take break from the bigger issue of Kashmir and criticise the state government over rampant corruption from the pulpit of Srinagar's historic mosque Jamia Masjid.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the Mirwaiz, who is also leading a movement against growing waywardness and apostasy in the valley, launched a website www.tahafuzeiman.org on Tuesday to safeguard Islamic interests after recent reports of people converting to other faiths.