Parties flay closing of Jamia mosque on Shab-e-Baraat

The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s decision not to allow congregational night prayers at Srinagar’s historic grand mosque on Shab-e-Baraat — one of the sacred nights in the Islamic calendar — on Thursday evoked criticism from parties in the Valley and from CM Omar Abdullah.

The mosque’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said he was not allowed to visit Jamia mosque for Friday prayers. In a statement, Mirwaiz described it condemnable that again and again on Fridays he is “disallowed from going to Jamia Masjid”.

Several political leaders on Thursday criticised the police for shutting Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid on Shab-e-Baraat. Omar Abdullah said the “decision betrays a lack in confidence in the people and a lack of confidence in the law and order machinery”.

J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra on Friday strongly condemned the lockdown of Jamia Masjid. “Putting Jamia Masjid under lock on Shab-e-Baraat reflects the lack of confidence with respect to the claims that are being made by the government day in and day out on the security front,” he said.