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Gaiety, fervour mark Eid in Kashmir
Prayers were held in towns and villages across the Valley and no untoward incident was reported as adequate security arrangements had been made at all eidgahs and mosques.
Worshippers thronged to mosques and eidgahs across Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to pay their obeisance on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. The biggest congregation was held at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar. Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah also offered prayers at Dargah Hazratbal and exchanged pleasantries with people.
Grand prayers were held in towns and villages across the Valley and no untoward incident was reported as adequate security arrangements had been made at all eidgahs and mosques.
Senior police and army officers greeted people and distributed sweets outside among children at multiple eidgahs and mosques. J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha took to twitter to greet people to mark the holy day.
“Holy festival is a celebration of the spirit of sacrifice and brotherhood. The joyous occasion inspires each one of us to follow the path of love, compassion and forgiveness,” Sinha’s tweet read.
Former J&K CM and head of Democratic Progressive Azad Party Ghulam Nabi Azad said the festival is about spirituality and sacrifice.
“Eid-ul-Adha is about sacrifice and renewal of spirituality. May this special occasion be a blessing for everyone and bring peace and prosperity to the nation,” he said.
India-Pak soldiers exchange sweets at border
India and Pakistan soldiers on Thursday exchanged sweets and pleasantries along the 200-km international border and 744-km Line of Control (LoC) to mark Eid-ul-Adha.
“The BSF and Pak rangers exchanged sweets on the occasion Eid at various border outposts under Jammu frontier in a very cordial atmosphere,” said a Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson. They greeted each other along the outposts in Samba, Kathua, RS Pura and Akhnoor.
“BSF Jammu offered sweets to rangers and they reciprocated the gesture by offering sweets to the BSF,” the spokesperson added.
“Such gestures help build a peaceful atmosphere and cordial relationships border between both border guarding forces,” he said.
Indian and Pakistani armies also exchanged sweets along LoC in Poonch.
“The sweet exchange took place at Chakan-Da-Bagh and Hot Spring on the LoC to mark Eid celebrations,” said an army officer.
In a gesture of goodwill, the Sarla Battalion of Indian army presented sweets to the Pakistan army (20 POK) on the eve of Eid-ul-Adha.
Prayers ‘not allowed’ at Jamia Masjid
Authorities disallowed Eid prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid as well as the eidgah Srinagar, according to the managing body of the mosque.
Congregational prayers have not been allowed at the eidgah since 2016.
In a statement, the managing body of Jamia Masjid said on Wednesday, “This is to inform the public that authorities have conveyed to Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid that once again, Eid ul Adha prayers will not be allowed at the historic and central Eidgah Srinagar”.
Eid prayers have not taken place at the Eidgah since 2016 after the killing of then Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. He was killed in an encounter on July 8, 2016, three days after Eid-ul-Fitr.
