2 min readSrinagarUpdated: Mar 13, 2026 06:44 PM IST
Authorities shut down Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid on the last Friday of Ramzan. The Jamat-ul-vida marks the last Friday of Ramzan, considered an auspicious occasion in the Muslim calendar.
“For the 7th consecutive year, the rulers have denied permission to Muslims to pray here,” Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s head cleric who leads prayers at Jamia Masjid, said. “On the last Friday of holy Ramzan, when tens of thousands gather from towns and villages for prayers and supplication at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, its gates have once again been locked from all sides.”
Expressing his dejection at the move, Mirwaiz added: “As Israel has forcibly shut the gates of Masjid al-Aqsa during Ramzan, a similar painful reality is witnessed here. Our hearts bleed. Shame on those who lock the houses of Allah against the faithful”.
The Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, the body that oversees the affairs of the mosque, also strongly condemned the continued closure of the Masjid on the occasion of Jumat-ul-vida.
The management also noted that “this approach of the authorities has resulted in the arbitrary closure of Jamia Masjid multiple times throughout the year, reflecting continued insecurities and what it termed an unjustified policy of restrictions on religious practices”.
Friday prayers were however permitted at Dargah Hazratbal where National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah participated in congregational prayers.
Meanwhile, in Budgam, Kargil and Leh massive rallies were held to mark Quds day, an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramzan in solidarity with Palestine and based on the Arabic name for Jerusalem, al-Quds.
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In Budgam, thousands gathered at the main chowk to commemorate Quds day carrying pictures of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in Tehran on March 1.
