Hurriyat chairman and Valley’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was disallowed to attend the Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, just a day after J&K Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha stated that his administration was mulling to allow the Mirwaiz to visit the mosque under a security cover. Meanwhile, the Mirwaiz is likely to take a legal route to “understand his status”.
“The Mirwaiz was again disallowed from conducting Majlis-e-Waz-o-Tablig (sermon) and offering obligatory Friday prayers for the consecutive 208th Friday at the Jama Masjid today,” a spokesman of the Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, a caretaker body, said.
The Auqaf spokesman said it was expecting the release of the Mirwaiz following the L-G’s interview to a news channel. In the interview to The Lallantop, the L-G said he has made up his mind and was considering allowing the Mirwaiz to join Friday prayers under a security cover.
“The Auqaf reached out to police authorities (about his release) in the light of L-G sahib’s statement. The concerned authorities said they were not intimated. The status quo of his detention continues,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the Auqaf said the Mirwaiz “has been pushed to take the legal route”. “The Mirwaiz has decided to send a legal notice to the concerned authorities to clarify his status and initiate proceedings for his release from house detention so that his religious and other public obligations don’t suffer any further,” the spokesman said.
Earlier, the L-G had said the Mirwaiz was free to go anywhere under a security cover. “The Mirwaiz has conveyed his apprehensions to the security agencies about his security. He will be provided [with] a security cover wherever he goes. We have already allowed Muharram processions in Srinagar after 30 years. The (Shia) community cooperated and maintained peace. If Friday prayers are held peacefully, the Mirwaiz will be allowed,” the L-G said, in the interview.
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah disputed the claims of the L-G made about the Mirwaiz being free. “It’s a lie. The Mirwaiz is not allowed to come out or visit the Jamia Masjid. If he is free, why security personnel man his gate and not allow people to go in? Is the media allowed to interview the Mirwaiz? No. The truth is before you,” Mr. Abdullah said.
