Prayer meet not allowed at tomb of Sheikh Abdullah

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 5

Due to the restrictions and preventive measures, the authorities did not allow the traditional congregational prayer meet of the NC at the mausoleum of its founder leader Sheikh Abdullah on his birth anniversary at Naseem Bagh here on Thursday.

Senior NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah and other former legislators and ministers have been under detention since August 5, after the revocation of Article 370.

The authorities, according to party sources, didn’t allow the congregational prayer meet at Naseem Bagh near Hazratbal, though it had allowed NCleaders to pay tributes to Sheikh Abdullah at individual level. Party MP from Anantnag Hasnain Masoodi was among the leaders who paid floral tributes to him.

A function to pay homage to the NC founder leader was organised at the party headquarters in Nawa-i-Subh here. A number of party leaders and workers attended the meet to pay homage to Sheikh Abdullah. “The meet was held inside the building and not outside in the lawns of the office to avoid any sloganeering,” a party worker said.

Senior party leader and Farooq’s younger brother Mustafa Kamaal, who is also under detention in his house, told The Tribune that the authorities had even dismissed a plea from him, his sister Begum Khalida Shah with her son Muzaffar Shah to pay homage to their father at the mausoleum in their individual capacities. Begum Khalida Shah and her son Muzaffar Shah, leaders of the Awami National Conference, expressed concern and condemned the restrictions on their movement on the occasion.

“We were informed about the decision by the authorities this morning,” Mustafa Kamala said. He said a number of people and workers had paid homage to Sheikh Abdullah at his mausoleum individually but there was no congregational prayer meet.