Not allowed to offer prayers, says Mirwaiz

Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday claimed that he was put under house arrest and prevented from offering congregational prayers at the Jama Masjid. There was no word from police on Farooq’s allegation.

“Again disallowed from going to Jama Masjid on a Friday for the second consecutive week. As I raise people’s issues and concerns from the pulpit, as is my duty, it seems to make the authorities jittery and uncomfortable, so lock him up!” the Hurriyat chairman said in a post on X.

He said “as if by locking me up” the issues would disappear and the reality altered. “But an authoritarian mindset can’t think beyond... strongly condemn my house arrest and the imprisonment of thousands of Kashmiri prisoners who are victims of this mindset,” Farooq added.

Meanwhile, Anjuman Auqaf, the management committee of Jamia Masjid also expressed “deep anger” over the continued house arrest of Mirwaiz for the second consecutive Friday.