Hartal politics haunts Kashmir once again. The latest provocation or excuse for a section of separatists to call for a shutdown is Pranab Mukherjee’s maiden visit of the Valley as President.
Though the President would be in the Valley for three days beginning on Wednesday, hard-line separatist leader and chairman of his faction of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani has asked the people to strike their work on September 27 when Mr Mukherjee is scheduled to attend the 18th annual convocation of University of Kashmir here, review the Dal Lake Conservation Project and interact with a group of intellectuals. The strike call has been endorsed by a few other separatist outfits.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Valley’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman of rival faction of the separatist conglomerate has in a significant move registered himself as a doctorate scholar to receive the decoration at the convocation. The Mirwaiz figures at No 1 in the list of Ph.D scholars from the University’s Department of Islamic Studies who shall receive the awards (gold medal). However, he is unlikely to make it to the convocation in person as he is currently in New York to attend the 67th OIC foreign ministers’ contact group meet on Jammu and Kashmir.
More than 214 students will be awarded medals (gold and silver). Also, 234 Ph.Ds, 399 M.Phils, 21,240 post-graduates and 1,19,799 undergraduates and 93 diploma holders are being felicitated.
The mirwaiz was in October 2010 conferred with doctorate.