Friday prayers disallowed in Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz put under house detention

Srinagar, Mar 28 (PTI) Hurriyat Conference leader and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said congregational prayers were not allowed at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar on Friday and he was placed under house detention.

The grand mosque in the city’s Nowhatta locality was closed for prayers on the auspicious occasion of Shab-e-Qadr on Thursday night as well.

“Jamia Masjid continues to remain closed to people and I under house detention even today on Juma-Tul-Vida, when lakhs of people eagerly await the whole year to offer congregational prayers on this blessed Friday for great reward and blessing from Allah,” Mirwaiz said in a post on microblogging site X.

Mirwaiz said he wanted to ask the authorities why this most important centre of Kashmir’s religious identity was “repeatedly targeted and people’s fundamental right to religious practice curbed, when tall claims of normalcy are trumpeted every day?”

“Those ruling in people’s name cannot absolve themselves from standing up to address this gross injustice towards Muslims of the Valley and the repeated closure of #JamaMasjid (sic),” he said, referring to the National Conference-led Jammu and Kashmir government.