Prayers disallowed on Shab-e-Qadr at Jamia mosque, says Mirwaiz

The authorities in Kashmir Valley on Thursday disallowed night prayers on Shab-e-Qadr, one of the holiest nights of the Islamic calendar, Hurriyat Conference chairman and Jamia Masjid chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Thursday.

Mirwaiz said the Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, the managing committee of the mosque affairs, conveyed that on the Shab-e-Qadr, Jama Masjid will be closed to the people and no prayers will be allowed there.

Condemning the action, Mirwaiz stated, “It is extremely regrettable and condemnable that the insensitivity of those in power will deprive tens of thousands of Muslims who for generations visit Jama Masjid on this night, of spiritual solace and worship, causing them and me great grief and dismay,” he said on X.

Reacting to it, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti stated on X, “The government which claims and celebrates that it has eradicated separatism persists in viewing every Kashmiri as a potential separatist. Their false narrative of having restored total normalcy is exposed when a historic mosque is closed off to worshippers on a night so deeply cherished by all.” On Shab-e-Qadr, Muslims across the globe remain awake and hold prayers during the night, which is one of the holiest nights in the Islamic year.