Hurriyat leader and one of Kashmir’s most eligible bachelors, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, today tied the nuptial knot with US-born Sheeba Massodi at a low-key function.In sharp contrast to the marriages of JKLF leader Javeed Mir, Hurriyat leader Shahid-ul-Islam and slain Abdul Gani Lone’s son Sajjad last year, the ceremony was a low-key affair sans hype and hullabaloo. Only close family friends and relatives attended the wedding, which was held away from media glare.Hurriyat leaders were conspicuous by their absence at the function. The groom’s family said that they ‘‘did not want to throw a party at a time when people are still mourning Lone’s death’’. They said it was keeping this in mind that they did not invite even the Hurriyat’s executive members to the wedding.Surprisingly, even senior leaders of the Awami Action Committee, once headed by Umar’s father, the late Moulvi Mohammad Farooq, were not invited. Hurriyat chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat said he will go to Umar’s place tomorrow to congratulate the couple. ‘‘I will offer my greetings to the young couple tomorrow,’’ he said.Though the 28-year-old groom and his family prepared a small guest list, sources said Umar did not forget to send out invitations to foreign diplomats in New Delhi. And this has caused many a heartburn in the political and intellectual community here.A Hurriyat leader commented, ‘‘looks like by inviting them (foreign diplomats) and not us, Umar wants to keep these officials in good humour. What is he trying to convey by leaving out his own people who love and adore him from his wedding?’’
