Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 20: Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today arrived in Srinagar, weeks after he was denied permission to visit Kashmir and was sent back from Srinagar Airport by the administration.
Azad was allowed to visit Kashmir after Supreme Court intervened which has out condition to visit. As per these conditions he can’t do any political activity during visit after Government pleaded before the apex court that it may lead to public disorder in the Kashmir.
The Congress leader arrived in Srinagar this evening and he was scheduled to meet some of the daily wagers at Banquet Hall at M A Road but the meeting was cancelled. He drove to Circuit House from the Airport and is staying there for the night.
Sources said that no one met the Congress leader after his arrival as most of the Congress leader including JKPCC chief G A Mir either in jail or under house arrest. However some officials from the administration met him at the Circuit House. He is scheduled to stay in Srinagar and meet some people tomorrow.
Azad is scheduled to visit Anantnag on Sunday and will visit North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday where he is scheduled to meet people. But the administration is strictly monitoring his movements so that he may not violate the SC directions during his visit.
Before departing for Srinagar from New Delhi, Azad told the Excelsior that he would meet ‘Shikarawalas’, tanga, taxi and tempo operators, street vendors, small shopkeepers, poneywallas etc in Gulmarg and Pahalgam.
He said he would also meet labourers working in orchards during fruit season and in brick kilns.
Azad said the administration imposed Section 144 in the areas which he had to visit to prevent him from meeting the people.