Srinagar, February 13 Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief cleric of Kashmir, congratulated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on winning the country's elections on Friday, and expressed hope that it would establish good relations with all neighboring countries to bring peace and stability to the region.
Addressing the Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta here, Mirwaiz welcomed the fact that a new government is taking over in Bangladesh "following free and fair elections."
The separatist leader congratulated the winning BNP and the people of Bangladesh, and said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir pray for their peace, stability, and prosperity.
Mirwaiz expressed hope that good relations would be established among all the neighboring countries, which would help bring peace, progress, and lasting stability to the region.
The cleric also called for unhindered religious observance during the holy month of Ramadan.
He expressed hope that authorities would not impose restrictions, as they had in previous years, on significant occasions such as Shab-e-Qadr, Juma-tul-Vida, and Eid-ul-Fitr.
"It deeply hurts the sentiments of people when the largest mosque in the Valley is forcibly closed on such sacred occasions, without any reason," he said.
Mirwaiz emphasized that closing a central place of worship during the most sacred days of the Islamic calendar causes anguish among the faithful and undermines the spirit of the holy month.