‘Shocking and chilling beyond belief’ – Back in Jamia Masjid after a month, Mirwaiz condemns Pahalgam attack

“Sadly, during this time, we had to witness a terrifying incident which has left our hearts bleeding. The manner in which a carnage was carried out—more than two dozen people killed after ascertaining their identities and in front of their families—is shocking and chilling beyond belief,” Mirwaiz said in his Friday sermon at the Jamia Masjid. “We strongly condemn it. Who better can understand the pain and grief of loss to the families of those affected than a people who have suffered it for decades and still continue to.”

Mirwaiz led a one-minute silence in solidarity for the victims of Pahalgam attack before the Friday prayers. Twenty-five tourists and a local pony operator were killed in a terror attack at Baisaran meadow of south Kashmir Pahalgam tourist resort on Tuesday. While the killings generated massive outrage in the Valley, Mirwaiz led Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU) — an amalgam of religious parties in the Valley — called for a shutdown in protest.

Mirwaiz commended the locals for helping the tourists “even at the risk of their own lives”, for shutdown and “spontaneous and silent protests and candlelight vigils”. He. however, criticised the media for making the Kashmiris, living in different parts of India, vulnerable. “A large section of mainstream media, with its communal rhetoric of hate directed against Kashmiris, has made Kashmiris across India vulnerable, forcing hundreds to leave cities and towns, especially the students, causing great distress to their families and to all of us,” he said. “I appeal to the concerned governments in different states of India to ensure the safety of our students and all other Kashmiris”.

The Hurriyat leader also urged the government to “allow” him to “visit the injured in hospitals” and to the house of local pony operator Syed Adil Hussain at Hapatnar village of South Kashmir’s Aishmuqam. Mirwaiz also paid tributes to Adil.

While Mirwaiz was released after four years of house detention, the authorities are often preventing him from leading the Friday sermons at the historic Jamia Masjid. On Friday, he was allowed to return to the Jamia Masjid after a month.