Srinagar, Feb 27 – The ruling National Conference (NC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir have strongly criticized the police for preventing funeral prayers of Ghulam Sibtain Masoodi, father-in-law of Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid.
Authorities sealed the mosque in the old city by erecting barricades and deploying security personnel. The police have not issued any statement regarding the move.
Masoodi, 80, passed away on Wednesday after a prolonged illness. Expressing discontent, the NC condemned the restrictions, calling the decision "deeply regrettable and wrong." In a statement posted on X, the party said, "Such actions are not only regressive but also demonstrate the hollowness of claims of normalcy in the region."
The party further asserted that such steps undermine the credibility of authorities' claims of peace and stability. "The police, in their short-sighted approach, fail to realize that restricting such basic rights only further erodes the trust and goodwill of the people," the statement read.
Although the NC holds power in Jammu and Kashmir, law enforcement remains under the jurisdiction of the lieutenant governor.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti also condemned the decision, labeling it "cruel." In a post on X, she wrote, "Unfathomable & cruel that authorities have barred the Namaz-e-Janazah of Mirwaiz sahib’s father-in-law Dr. Ghulam Sibtain Masoodi Sahab at Jama Masjid today. One assumed that after an elected government, there’d be some relief, but instead, they are complicit by their silence, which has emboldened GOI’s iron-fisted policy of repression."
Masoodi, a doctor by profession, had left Kashmir in 1974 for further studies in the US and returned after 28 years. His burial will occur at his ancestral graveyard in Khrew, Pulwama district.
Last updated by a enewsx:
