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Srinagar, 28 MAR: As officials in Jammu and Kashmir extended warm greetings to the people on the occasion of Shab-e-Qadr and Jummah-tul-Vida, the grand gates of Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid remained locked yet again, barring thousands of worshippers from offering night-long prayers and congregational supplications on two of the holiest occasions in Islam. For the sixth consecutive year, the central Jamia Masjid—where generations of Kashmiris have gathered to seek divine mercy and forgiveness—has been placed under restrictions, leaving worshippers disheartened. Head cleric of Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, expressed his anguish over the move, stating, “When Muslims around the world supplicate and seek Allah’s forgiveness throughout the holy and blessed night, central Jamia Masjid Srinagar will be closed to the people, and no shab or prayers will be allowed there. It is extremely regrettable that the insensitivity of those in power will deprive tens of thousands of Muslims, who for generations visit Jamia Masjid on this night, of spiritual solace and worship, causing them and me great grief and dismay.” The decision has drawn sharp criticism from political and social voices. Parliamentarian Aga Ruhullah took to social media platform X, writing, “You shackle not a structure, but the hearts of Kashmiris on a night Allah calls ‘greater than a thousand months.’ By no measure is this governance, it is cowardice.” Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the move, stating, “The shutdown of Jama Masjid on the sacred night of Lailatul Qadr and on Jummah-tul-Vida represents another example of collective punishment imposed on Kashmiris. The government which claims & celebrates that it has eradicated separatism persists in viewing every Kashmiri as a potential separatist. Their false narrative of having restored total normalcy is exposed when a historic mosque is closed off to worshippers on nights and days so deeply cherished by all.” Criticism of the move was not limited to Muslim voices alone. A Kashmiri Pandit body also questioned the government’s claims of normalcy. “Is this normalcy in J&K when authorities ban Shab-e-Qadr and Jummah-tul-Vida prayers inside Jama Masjid? Stop mocking the world with claims that normalcy has returned after the removal of Article 370. That is why terrorism in Jammu’s Hindu belt has increased in the last three years,”* the statement read. While restrictions remained firmly in place at the grand mosque, authorities ensured that all arrangements—including transportation, night stays, and essential services—were provided at other shrines and mosques, particularly at Hazratbal Dargah. Even as officials issue messages of peace and harmony, thousands of faithful are left far from worship as gates of Jamia Masjid, remained closed.
