Srinagar, July 27: Omar Abdullah, the National Conference leader, expressed his approval on Thursday for the government’s decision to permit the Muharram procession to proceed through Lal Chowk using the traditional route after a gap of more than three decades. However, he also urged for the release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from house arrest and demanded unrestricted permission for prayers at Jamia Masjid.
“We welcome this decision. At the same time, we hope that the government takes other steps as well. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is a religious leader and he should be released. Prayers should be allowed at Jamia Masjid without any curbs, and the Red prayer should be allowed at Eidgah,” said Abdullah.
Due to the early morning Muharram procession causing significant traffic congestion in the city, Abdullah opted to walk from his residence on Gupkar Road to his office at Nawa-i-Subah, considering the inconvenience his security vehicles might cause to the people.
When asked about elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief minister of the state accused the BJP of being afraid to face the electorate. He referred to the Election Commission’s acknowledgment of a vacuum in Jammu and Kashmir that needs to be filled and suggested that if it is not possible to hold Assembly polls separately, they should be conducted together with the Lok Sabha elections.
