Mirwaiz again stopped from delivering Friday sermon at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid

Hurriyat Conference chairperson, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was again stopped by police from leaving his house to deliver the sermon at Kashmir’s historic Jamia Masjid.

Earlier, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha denied the house arrest of the separatist leader claiming that the security forces were deployed at his residence for “his protection”. In an interview with BBC Hindi, Sinha said, “he is neither arrested nor detained. He must decide what he wants to do.”

Later, after LG’s statement, Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid (AAJM), the managing body of Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, issued a statement saying that preparations for Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz’s sermon had been made and congregational prayers after nearly three years had been made. On Friday morning, however, Mirwaiz was stopped as soon as he tried venturing out.

“The LG has announced that I am a free man… I am going to Jamia Masjid to discharge my religious duties as Mirwaiz. Why am I being stopped?” he asked the police officers. But he was not given permission to leave.

Questioning the government’s claim that everything in Kashmir had returned to normalcy, Mirwaiz further asked, “I want to join my people in their happiness. Why are you stopping me?” he asked before being turned back to his residence.”

In a recent statement, AAJM said that a huge crowd had gathered in Jamia Masjid from across Kashmir to see a glimpse of Mirwaiz after nearly three years of house arrest. AAJM expressed their anger and condemned the “illegal and arbitrary detention” of Mirwaiz.