Ahead of Eid prayers, Mirwaiz claims put under house arrest in Srinagar

He said Eid prayers were not allowed at the Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar or the local Eidgah, posing questions over the claims of normalcy in Kashmir.

Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations passed peacefully with congregational prayers at the Hazratbal Shrine.

“I am deeply pained and strongly condemn the authorities’ decision to once again deny the Muslims of Kashmir the basic right to offer Eid prayers at Eidgah and Jamia Masjid which have been closed down and I have been detained at home,” Mirwaiz said in a post on micro-blogging platform X.

He pointed out that even when militancy was at its peak in the 1990s, Eid prayers were offered at the Eidgah. “...now when huge claims of ‘normalcy’ are made every day by the authorities, why are we being kept away from our religious places and practices? What is the agenda? Is the collective identify of Kashmiri Muslims a threat to the rulers,” he questioned.