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No Juma’at-ul-Vida prayers allowed in Jamia Masjid this year

Jamia Masjid Srinagar.

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (M) chairperson, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Friday said that the incident that happened in Nowhatta outside the historic Jamia Masjid, which has always been a centre of spiritual and moral upliftment, is “most unfortunate”.

“I am deeply disturbed by this brutal act,” he said in a statement. “Mob violence and public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion.”

An unidentified man opened fire on a group of people, injuring three of them, around 12:00 am outside Jamia Masjid during the intervening night of June 22 and 23 when Muslims across Kashmir were observing Shab-e-Qadr (the night of powere when holy Qu’ran was sent down to mankind fourteen hundred years ago).

In rage, the people reacted violently which resulted in his death. He was caught taking pictures of the faithful which was objected to.

Mirwaiz, Valley’s chief cleric, leads prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid situated in Nowhatta area of Old Srinagar.

Early this morning, J&K Police identified the slain man as Dy SP rank officer of the state force.

“The violence that the state has wreaked on us is largely responsible for this kind of brutalization, as the police are being used against the people in the most brutal ways which leads to brutal reactions,” Mirwaiz observed.

“It is very important and imperative for us that we do not allow our social fabric to be brutalised and keep our basic values intact. We cannot allow state brutality to which we are subject to each day as we see the bulleted and chatted dead bodies of our children and youth, snatch our humanity and values. What will be the difference between them and us then? Such incidents are detrimental for our movement and our just freedom struggle,” he added.

The Hurriyat Conference (M) chief said, “repeatedly, we keep asking the Indian state to address the Kashmir dispute and initiate steps to resolve it rather so that bloodshed of Kashmiris and those killed at Line of Control (LoC) is stopped but to no avail. If GoI really wants an end to tragedies in Kashmir let it initiate steps to address the dispute and it will find resistance leadership and people most forthwith in joining that endeavour.”

Mirwaiz said, “as usual, most Indian propaganda media mill has found grist in this sad death to further its propaganda against the resistance leadership and the movement. They are even reporting falsely that when the incident happened I was present in the mosque. I reached the mosque at 12:15 am while the incident had happened before that.”

Muhammad Ayoub Pandith, the slain Dy SP rank officer of J&K Police.

“It is for the first time in the living memory of people that they are being barred from offering Juma’at-ul-vida prayers at Jamia Masjid by the authorities.

For the whole year Muslims of the Valley are waiting to offer prayers in Jamia Masjid on this most important last Friday of the holiest month of Ramzan to earn reward and seek forgiveness of their almighty. And even that right has been snatched from us by our oppressors,” he said.

Mirwaiz said that such “anti-Muslim and oppressive” moves now come as no surprise to the people of Kashmir, who each day are “subject to various forms of human right violations and abuse which include infringement and upon their religious rights all of which is the hallmark of being under occupation”.

J&K Government imposed restrictions in Srinagar parts while as Pulwama district is completely shut as the resistance leadership had called for protests against killings by armed forces.

Three Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) died fighting armed forces in Kakpora on Thursday morning while as a civilian was killed by the Indian armed forces during protests following the death of LeT militants in Kakpora.

He was identified as Tawseef Ahmad Wani, a resident of Tengpuna, Pulwama.

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