Leaders across the political spectrum on Friday condemned the unfurling of Pakistani flags at a rally organised by Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Tral, with many calling for the separatist leader to be booked for sedition.
"We strongly condemn the unfurling of Pakistani flags at the Geelani rally and the anti-nationalist speeches made there. We seek stringent action against all those who have unfurled the Pakistani flag," National Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh told ANI.
"If Masarat Alam was booked for sedition, why not Geelani? He was present at the incident that saw Alam being booked but he was not arrested. He has given pro-Pak slogans, but our government is just watching helplessly," he added.
People's Democratic Party spokesperson Waheed Para said that the separatists are 'restless' because of the successful conclusion of the recent assembly elections in the state.
"I think the separatists were trying to provoke the people and provoke the peace in Jammu and Kashmir. One Pakistani flag will not undermine the sovereignty and democracy of Jammu and Kashmir. The reality is that they are restless after a successful election in the state, in which the people ignored their calls for boycotting the polls," he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference leader Mustafa Kamal felt that the unfurling of the Pakistani flag at Geelani's rally was just for publicity.
"The panic action of parties in Delhi will give what the separatists want - publicity. They want their relevance to remain and therefore they have resorted to use Pakistani flags to provoke the dispensation in Delhi," he said.
Earlier in the day, Geelani courted controversy after numerous Pakistani flags were waved during his rally in Tral.
The presence of Pakistani flags at Geelani's rally comes a fortnight after fellow separatist Masarat Alam was arrested for 'provocative actions' for the same reason.
