Srinagar: Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar on Friday said the “illegal and arbitrary” detention of its head Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Umar Farooq, continued today on the third Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, due to which he could neither perform Friday prayer nor fulfill his official duties for the consecutive 189th Jummah.
In a statement, the Anjuman said that on the occasion of the great and blessed month of Ramadan, the people who came in thousands from across the valley to listen to the sermons of Mirwaaz-e-Kashmir had to return disappointed once again in the absence of their beloved leader. “They termed the continuous detention of Mirwaiz as arbitrary and inhumane in all respects,” it said.
Meanwhile, before the Friday prayer, Imam Hai Ahmad Saeed Naqshbandi expressed his anger and resentment against the prolonged detention of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir and said that “people are unable to understand the behavior of the authorities regarding this incarceration”.
“Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir is not only a leading religious leader but also a beloved leader of lakhs of people, and the nefarious attempt to keep him away from his people for the last nearly four years is a matter of serious concern,” he said.
Imam Hai reiterated the demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir in view of the holy and great occasions like Jummat-ul-Vida and Shab-e-Qadr.
Meanwhile, the Anjuman Auqaf announced that the Friday prayer on April 14, 2023, i.e. Jummat-ul-Vida, will be offered at 2:00 pm at Jama Masjid Srinagar. It said the people should ensure their attendance at the Jama Masjid by showing solidarity and discipline.
Meanwhile, Auqaf alleged that the worshipers who came to perform the Friday prayers in the Jama Masjid today repeated their complaint that the policemen took their mobile phones and identity cards into their custody and then allowed them to come to the mosque.
The Anjuman urged the police officials to abandon such behavior towards the worshipers and not subject the people coming to Jama Masjid to unnecessary inconvenience.