Supporters of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday held a protest outside the Jama Masjid in Srinagar and demanded the immediate release of the Hurriyat leader and head priest of the Valley. Anjuman Auqaf vice-president and imam Ahmad Syed Naqshbandi lead the protest.
In his Friday sermon, Mr. Naqshbandi termed the prevailing situation in J&K as “extremely grave and unfortunate”.
“It is a big tragedy that the Mirwaiz of J&K, who enjoys the reputation of being a globally acknowledged leader, is being kept under illegal and arbitrary house detention for the last one-and-a-half year due to which not only the pulpit of the central Jama Masjid is silent but the Mirwaiz is also unable to carry out his responsibilities of preaching,” Mr. Naqshbandi.
He said the current Islamic month marks the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and people from every part of the Valley are used to listening to the Mirwaiz about the life of Muhammad.
The organisation also urged the Lieutenant Governor of J&K to intervene and release the Mirwaiz, who was arrested on August 5 last year and later shifted to his home and placed under house arrest.
