Srinagar | WTNS | Aug 19: The Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir and the senior member of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam while strongly reacting to the three-year-long detention of the MMU founder & patron Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq has demanded his immediate release.

All leading religious, social and academic personalities, including the Grand Mufti and the civil society are strongly demanding the release of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir on the completion of his three years of unjustified, illegal and arbitrary detention so that he could fulfill his responsibilities toward Kashmiri society and people.

In a statement to Wilayat Times, Grand Mufti said that apart from his personality as the Mirwaiz of Kashmir, Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq is a beloved leader of the people and his house arrest brings great pain and agony among the masses and is hurting the emotions and sentiments of one and all.

The Grand Mufti questioned that “according to the rulers, if the situation in Kashmir has changed after August 5, 2019, then is it the result of this change by keeping the historical Jama Masjid Srinagar closed under various pretexts and preventing the Muslims of Kashmir from praying and worshipping in this central place of worship?”.

Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam said that disallowing prayers on the auspicious and significant occasions of Jumma-tul-Vida and Eid-ul-Adha has never happened before in his knowledge. Such incidents will be written in black letters in history because such actions are tantamount to sheer interference in religion, he added.

The Grand Mufti said that along with ensuring the immediate release of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir, the central Jama Masjid Srinagar should also be kept open so that he can fulfill the official duties that the Institution of Mirwaiz enjoins upon him.

Meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha said on Friday. said that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is not under house arrest

“We have neither arrested him nor is he under the house arrest,” Sinha told BBC Hindi in an interview.

Noting that the father of the Mirwaiz was killed in an unfortunate incident, he said that police was placed around the separatist leader’s house for his protection.

“Even in 2019, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was not detained under the PSA. He is neither arrested nor detained. He must decide what he wants to do,” Sinha added.