Hurriyat Chairman and Valley’s Chief Cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said that he was again disallowed to attend the congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and was put under house detention.
In a statement, Mirwaiz strongly denounced his repeated house detention, especially on Fridays, to prevent him from delivering sermon in central Jamia Masjid here and offering obligatory Friday prayers.
He mentioned that after his release from four years of continued house detention since August 2019, he was allowed to go to Jamia Masjid only on three Fridays.
“Since then, every Friday, he is put under house arrest without being provided any reason for it by the authorities,” the Hurriyat Chairman said.
“Since October 13, Jamia Masjid was locked to people for ten consecutive Fridays, and it was only since last week that people are allowed to offer Friday prayers there.
However, one doesn’t know till when, while the ban on me continues. At their will and whims, the authorities close down or open the central Jamia Masjid to Muslims for prayers, and no one can ask why,” Mirwaiz said.
“This arbitrariness, disregard for religious rights and sentiments of Muslims, and strong-arm tactics of the authorities, even on the basic human principle to allow the practice of religion uninterfered, is a telling sign of the time and situation we are living in. It’s also a mockery of the authorities’ own statements that things are great in Jammu & Kashmir, and I am a free man who can go anywhere,” he said.
The Valley Chief’s Cleric reiterated his belief that repression of every kind, including on religious rights, cannot bring or maintain “peace.”
He said those in charge of decision-making should revisit this policy and think long term in the light of historical precedents.
