For the third consecutive Friday, Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq — who also heads the Hurriyat Conference — was allegedly barred from leading congregational prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar’s old city.
Mirwaiz had announced special prayers at the Jamia Masjid to seek rain and snowfall amid an unusually dry winter in the Valley. However, for the third straight Friday, authorities did not permit him to proceed to the mosque, preventing him from leading the faithful in collective supplications, his office said in a statement.
In a post on X, the Mirwaiz wrote: “Another Friday, and once again authorities denied me permission to go to Jama Masjid. Such repeated restrictions are deeply distressing. It is extremely saddening that I could not lead the faithful in collective duʿā for rain and snow during this unusually dry winter. Our prayers remain our strength — may Allah accept them.”
Last Friday too, the Mirwaiz was stopped from offering prayers at the grand mosque and instead delivered a sermon online.
He has earlier said that last year he remained under house arrest for fourteen Fridays. “Arbitrary house arrests have become a recurring feature in my life. This suffocation is not only for me but for an entire society that increasingly feels voiceless,” he had stated.
The police generally do not comment on Mirwaiz’s claims of house arrest.
Despite the restrictions on him, Mirwaiz’s office said that Syed Ahmed Naqshbandi led the special prayers for rain and snow on Friday, with a large congregation participating “with heavy hearts” as the prolonged dry spell continues to cause concern across the Valley. He urged people to turn to Allah with humility and repentance and intensify their supplications, seeking divine mercy and relief.
Naqshbandi expressed anguish that “even offering dua — a purely religious and humanitarian act — now invites house arrest,” adding that repeated curbs on the Mirwaiz have deeply hurt the religious sentiments and conscience of the people.
