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Authorities book woman separatist leader in Indian controlled Kashmir for hoisting Pakistan flag

Xinhua, March 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

thorities book woman separatist leader in Indian controlled Kashmir for hoisting Pakistan flag

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, March 25 (Xinhua) - - Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir Wednesday booked Asiya Andrabi, head of hardline Muslim women separatist group Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of Faith), for allegedly unfurling Pakistan flag.

According to the police, Asiya Andrabi unfurled national flag of Pakistan Monday on the eve of Pakistan's National Day. She has been charged under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

"Case has been registered against Andrabi at a local police station here," a police official said. "She faces a prospect of arrest in this case."

Andrabi told local media she has been unfurling flags of Pakistan since decades and people in the region always do it whenever Pakistan wins a cricket match. She advocates accession of Kashmir with Pakistan and has been jailed several times in the past for her anti-India activities.

Andrabi's husband Ashiq Hussain Faktoo is one of the longest serving separatist prisoners in the restive region.

Dukhtaran-e-Millat is a puritanical Islamist women's group in the region. It attracted international attention in 1989, when hundreds of black-veiled women stormed the streets of Srinagar city to express outrage over posters of scantily clad Indian film stars that were plastered in the main city markets and down town areas. The group played a vital role in the closure of cinema halls in the region.

Islamabad every year observes March 23 as the anniversary of a 1940 resolution. Many separatist leaders of the region attended the official celebrations of this year at Pakistani High Commission office in New Delhi.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Endi