Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday criticised the administration for not rescheduling the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi holiday despite the government calendar mentioning that holidays were “subject to the appearance of the moon.”
CM Abdullah called the move by the General Administration Department “inconsiderate” & “designed to hurt sentiments.”
“The calendar printed by the Government press is very clear – “Subject to the appearance of the moon”. It means that the holiday is subject to change depending upon the moon being sighted. The deliberate decision by the unelected government to not shift the holiday is inconsiderate & designed to hurt the sentiments of the people,” CM Abdullah wrote in a post on X.
Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi is being celebrated in J-K on Saturday, while the official holiday is being observed on Friday as per the January notification issued by the administration.
J-K Minister of School and Higher Education, Health & Medical Education, and Social Welfare, Sakina Itoo, termed the move “totally unjust.”
“This is totally unjust that Eid-e-Milad, a sacred occasion for Muslims worldwide, is not observed as a holiday on the correct date in J&K. What does “subject to appearance of the moon” mean if it is not followed? Despite repeated requests from the elected Govt to shift the holiday, no action has been taken. This is playing with the emotions of the people. Such decisions should be at the helm of the elected government,” Itoo said.
Religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq strongly condemned the authorities’ “deliberate negligence” and “unacceptable” behaviour.
In a statement, Mirwaiz said, “Strongly condemn the utter disregard of authorities on the revered occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi , who for the second consecutive year have failed to reschedule the holiday in accordance with the actual date, which is tomorrow, disregarding the sentiments of the Muslim community. This deliberate negligence is unacceptable to the Muslims of J&K who strongly protest it.”
He further criticised the elected government for not taking a stand, remarking, “Equally regrettable is the silence of the elected government, who fail to take a stand on any issue of the people of J&K.”
The Mirwaiz added that he would highlight the issue during his Friday sermon at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid. (ANI)
