Friday prayers allowed at Jamia Masjid; Mirwaiz says barred from delivering sermon

However, Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said he was placed under house arrest and was not allowed to deliver the Friday sermon.

In a statement, Mirwaiz said that this was the third consecutive Friday during Ramadan that he had been put under what he described as “arbitrary house arrest.”

He alleged that the restrictions were not communicated in writing but enforced through heavy deployment of police personnel outside his residence, with barricades and concertina wires placed across lanes to restrict movement and prevent him from reaching the mosque.

Mirwaiz said such measures reflected “panic of the rulers” and added that the centrality of Jamia Masjid for Muslims in the region had “often been a point of contention.”

He asserted that such actions could not weaken faith or erase identity.

Meanwhile, thousands of worshippers gathered at the Jamia Masjid to offer Jumat-ul-Vida prayers. This marks the first time in seven years that such a large congregation was permitted at the mosque for the occasion.

Last Friday, authorities had not allowed congregational prayers at the mosque. A public holiday had been observed in Jammu and Kashmir on the day, as Eid-ul-Fitr was initially expected to fall on March 20. However, as the crescent moon was not sighted, Eid-ul-Fitr will now be celebrated across the country on Saturday.