The National Conference has strongly criticized the authorities for disallowing the Namaz-e-Janazah (funeral prayers) of Dr. Sibtain Masoodi at Jama Masjid, Srinagar, calling it a deeply regrettable and wrongful decision.
The party said such actions are not only regressive but also expose the hollowness of the administration’s claims of normalcy in the region.
“It is precisely these kinds of steps that reveal the lack of trust the authorities have in their own assertions of peace and stability,” the party stated.
The NC further lashed out at the police for what it termed a “short-sighted approach,” arguing that restricting fundamental religious rights only serves to further erode the people’s trust and goodwill.
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party also condemned the move, with a senior PDP leader holding the ruling National Conference responsible for barring the prayers.
Iltija Mufti termed the decision “unfathomable and cruel,” adding that authorities had even denied Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s father-in-law, Dr. Ghulam Sibtain Masoodi, his last rites at the grand mosque.
Criticizing the ruling dispensation, the PDP leader stated, “One assumed that after an elected government, there’d be some relief, but instead, they are complicit by their silence, which has emboldened the Government of India’s iron-fisted policy of repression.” [KNT]