Srinagar, May 19: Valley’s head priest Mirwaiz Dr Umar Farooq on Saturday urged the traders’ community to always go for “clean trade practices to uphold the brand name of Kashmir.”
 “We should always maintain the quality of goods associated with the name of Kashmir. People in US, UK, Middle East and elsewhere world over have always been procuring goods from Kashmir at face value, because they know that the goods are genuine. But now some selfish traders are selling fake downgraded items in garb of Kashmiri tag,” Mirwaiz said while addressing a gathering organized by the Jamia Market Traders Federation (JMTF) in the memory of Shaheed-e-Millat, Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq.
 Taking a dig at traders who sell fake Kashmiri handicrafts made in other states, the Mirwaiz said: “It will lead to slow but certain death to historic local crafts.”
 “The products from Amritsar, UP and other places are being sold in the garb of being Kashmiri. It’s very unfortunate that some traders are doing it for earning quick profits… They should realize that customer satisfaction helps the flourishing of trade in the long run.”
 Urging the traders to follow Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as role model in business practices, the head priest, while referring to Islamic principles, said: “The trader who carries out business with honesty will be with Martyrs in Jannah.”
 Commenting over the house arrest of him and his colleagues on Friday, the Mirwaiz, who is also the Chairman of Hurriyat Conference(M) said: “No one can deter us with these tactics.”
 “The more they’ll try to push us down; more resolute we’ll be for realizing our goal. We have witnessed these curbs, house arrests, jails since 1931, but we have always upheld our stand,” he maintained amid applauds from the people.
 Mirwaiz said it wasn’t necessary to take to streets to show that the separatist moment is alive. “Movement is in our hearts. It is not necessary to come on roads all the times. If a businessman opens his shop in the morning, it doesn’t mean he has forgotten the sacrifices made by the people because when situation demands for his contribution, he has always been there,” the Mirwaiz said.
 The JMTF President Javed Ahmed Zagar while hailing Mirwaiz for chairing the event said it was the head priest’s father Molvi Muhammad Farooq who founded the Jamia Market adding that the marketplace would always uphold business ethics.
 Mirwaiz’s close aide and senior Hurriyat leader Advocate Shahid-Ul-Islam was also present on the occasion.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 IST