Srinagar: Friday prayers remained suspended for the third successive week at historic Jamia Masjid in the downtown, Assar-e-Shareif Hazratbal and some others famous shrines in Kashmir valley to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
However, prayers were allowed in local mosques, where people offered ‘Friday namaz’ amid strict COVID guidelines, including maintaining social distancing and wearing masks.
All gates leading to Jamia Masjid remained closed and people were not allowed to enter the worship place, while security forces were deployed in strength to prevent assembly of people in or around the historic mosque.
‘No Friday prayers were held for the third successive week in the historic Masjid,’ said Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid (AAJM), headed by moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, who is under house arrest since August 5, 2019.
Friday prayers were resumed at Jamia Masjid on August 6 after remaining suspended for more than three months to prevent spread of COVID 19. However, following a fresh order asserting that only 25 persons are allowed to attend any function in Jammu and Kashmir, the mosque was again closed on August 13 for Friday prayers.
Congregational prayers were also not allowed for the third successive week at Hazratbal shrine, which houses the Holy Relic of Prophet Muhammad. Similarly, Friday prayers were also not held in some other major worship places, including at the shrine of Hazrat Goulsul Azam Dastigeer in Khanyar.
Meanwhile, people alleged that the ‘dual policy’ adopted by administration is confusing as on one hand it has closed worship places, extended the suspension of class work for educations institutes while on the other hand, tourist resorts are open and the administration is holding functions and sports tournaments in the valley.
‘If the government is concerned that COVID-19 could spread if the educational institutes and worship places are reopened, it should also stop holding functions with large gatherings as they too can lead to spread of the virus,’ Rameez Khan, a resident of Srinagar, told UNI.
‘If you go to any tourist resort in week days or weekends, you will see most of the people roaming around without adhering to any COVID guidelines,’ he added.
People participated in congregational Friday prayers in other mosques and worship places.
COVID-19: Friday prayers not allowed in Jamia Masjid, Hazratbal, other shrines in Kashmir
