Srinagar, Apr 18 : The blessed night of the Shab-e-Qadr was observed with great devotion and fervour throughout Jammu & Kashmir; and in the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar – the spiritual centre of Kashmiri Muslims, the Isha and Taraweeh prayers were held after a period of three years.
People from across the valley came to the grand mosque in large numbers and sought forgiveness from the Almighty Allah on this Night of Power. However, due to his nearly four-year-long detention, the head of Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq could neither deliver the sermon nor lead the collective prayer of repentance and forgiveness, a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reads.
Anjuman in a statement said that on the one hand, where people expressed happiness and joy over offering Isha and Taraweeh prayers after a long time on the occasion Shab Qadr while on the other hand, there was severe disappointment among them against the illegal and arbitrary detention of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir because the Mimbar and Mihrab of the Jama Masjid have been silent for these nearly four years due to the absence of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, which is extremely painful and for the people of Kashmir.
Anjuman expressed hope that the authorities would change their attitude and ensure the unconditional release of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr so that he could fulfill his religious duties