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Mirwaiz allowed to deliver Friday sermon after four years of ‘house arrest’
Mirwaiz was put under house arrest ahead of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A on August 5, 2019. His release comes weeks after he served a legal notice to the lieutenant governor administration over his house detention and denial to visit the Jamia Masjid since 2019.
After more than four years of house arrest, Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivered the Friday sermon at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar surrounded by a huge crowd, where he termed his detention the “toughest time”.
Mirwaiz was put under house arrest ahead of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A on August 5, 2019. His release comes weeks after he served a legal notice to the lieutenant governor administration over his house detention and denial to visit the Jamia Masjid since 2019. He leads the prayers and delivers Friday sermons as part of the Mirwaiz’s family tradition. On September 15, the J&K high court sought a reply from the administration over his house detention.
On Friday, thousands of people gathered to see him lead the Friday prayers for the first time in over four years, with local residents jostling to touch, hug and meet him amid slogans of “Choice, Choice, Mirwaiz”.
“After over four years, I am present among you here in Jamia Masjid today. It is difficult to express what emotions lie in my heart but I know that you understand those emotions,” he said.
Calling the period of his detention the toughest period of his life since his father’s assassination in 1990, an emotional Mirwaiz said: “To remain away from you for years, how difficult this time passed, nobody can imagine this. After the martyrdom of Shaheed e Millat ( Mirwaiz’s father), this was the toughest time for me.”
“You must be thinking that I will be disheartened… I am in high spirits,” he added.
Slamming the decision to revoke J&K’s special status, Mirwaiz said: “Not only was the special status of J&K done away with, the statehood was snatched and the region divided. Ladakh was separated from J&K. Against the public’s wishes, new laws were unilaterally imposed under the reorganisation act to weaken the people here.”
“Our stand is that a part of J&K is in India, another in Pakistan and the third in China. All these make Jammu and Kashmir as it existed in August 1947. The people have been divided and it is a reality that the issue needs to be resolved. The international community also endorses it... This can be a territorial issue for some but this is a human problem for us the people of J&K, not a territorial tug of war. We also want to move beyond it,” he added.
Referring to a recent statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Ukraine that “this is not an era of war”, he said: “We have always believed and participated in efforts of resolution through an alternative to violent means which is dialogue and reconciliation. We have personally suffered for pursuing this route.”
The Mirwaiz said that the people of Kashmir believe in peaceful coexistence. “We have always advocated the return of Kashmiri pandits and disapproved of making this human issue a political one,” he said.
Divisional commissioner of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said that the prayers concluded peacefully. “The people dispersed peacefully. The credit goes to people, our agencies... The situation is improving,” he said.
When contacted, Mirwaiz said that the police officers had informed him on Thursday about the administration’s decision to end his house detention. “The security is still here. I am expecting guests tomorrow, “ he said.
Welcoming the move, National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah said: “I hope that they allow him (the Mirwaiz) to move freely, interact with people and resume his social/religious responsibilities...”
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, too hailed the move. “Finally Mirwaiz Umar Farooq will walk free after years of LG admin’s denial about his detention.”
BJP leader and Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi said: “Religious scholars belong to all & no group or political party has a copyright for any religious personality. I hope, this time politico-theatrical statements will not shadow the happiness of the release of Mirwaiz. Wishing him great for future.”
