KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
It is sixth consecutive Friday and mandatory congregational Friday prayers were banned to be offered in historic Jamia Masjid Srinagar.
The last Friday when Friday prayers were offered in Jamia Masjid was when popular militant commander Burhan Wani was killed by forces on July 08, 2016.
Since then, concertina wires lay spread at the entrances of Jamia Masjid housed in Nowhatta area of Old Srinagar.
Strict round the clock has been imposed in Kashmir and people say there are unable to move towards Jamia Masjid because of the huge deployment of forces made around it.
Hurriyat Conference (m) chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is under house detention since July 08 evening, leads Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid which has historic significance.
A CRPF wanton vehicle stands stationed in front of the major entrance to the Masjid where thousands of faithful can attend prayers at one time.
Given the siege of Jamia Masjid, the resistance leadership even called for a march towards it on July 29 but government blocked it “sensing law and order problem”.
While mandatory Friday prayers were banned in Jamia Masjid, people started intense pro-freedom sloganeering as soon as the Friday prayers ended in Dargah Hazratbal.
The government too disallowed Friday prayers in Hazratbal in last 42 days on August 05, 2016 when united resistance leadership had called for ‘Dargah Chalo’ to hold Friday prayers there.
