Supporters of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Hurriyat chairman and Valley’s chief cleric, flashed placards seeking the cleric’s release and women worshippers held a demonstration at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid on Friday, which marked the fourth year of house detention of the separatist leader.
Raising pro-Mirwaiz slogans, women protesters appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and help in the release of the Mirwaiz. “It saddens us to see the empty pulpit. If the government claims the situation has improved and events like the G-20, Amarnath yatra, and Shia processions are possible, why not the release of Mirwaiz?” a woman protester said.
According to the Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, a caretaker body of the historic mosque in Srinagar, the Mirwaiz on Friday completed four years. He is neither allowed to propagate Islamic teachings through centuries-old tradition of Majlis-e Waz-o-Tableegh on Fridays nor allowed to offer obligatory Friday prayers,” a spokesperson of the Auqaf said.
He said Muslims of J&K “strongly denounce his continued detention”. “While all other religious activities are permitted and in fact facilitated by the authorities, it is openly discriminatory that Mirwaiz is barred from his duties as a Muslim head of J&K,” the spokesperson said.
Mirwaiz, who heads the Hurriyat, was arrested in 2019, ahead of the Centre’s move to end J&K’s special constitutional position.
