Srinagar, July 27: Two former chief ministers and a former minister have welcomed the government’s decision to allow Muharram procession on the traditional route after three decades.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference vice president and former CM Omar Abdullah said, “We welcome this decision of allowing 8th Muharram procession but it should not be a stand-alone decision. Allowing Eid prayers at Eidgah and holding commemorative functions at Mazar-e-Shuhada would also go a long way in restoring the confidence among the people.”
Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad while welcoming the allowing of the 8th Muharram procession on Srinagar streets asked the administration to continue the practice on Ashura.
In a statement, the former CM said that allowing the 8th Muharram procession in Srinagar after a pause of three decades is a welcome step. “I welcome allowing of this procession today and urge the administration to continue the practice on Aashura,” Azad said. “I urge people to maintain the centuries-old brotherhood and communal harmony,” he added.
Hailing Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for allowing the 8th Muharram procession on traditional routes of Srinagar from Guru Bazar to Dalgate after about three decades, Chairman Peoples Democratic Front and former minister Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen has urged the government to lift restrictions on Ashura procession on the 10th Muharam also.
“These processions are the revered and most pious religious obligation for the whole Muslim community,” he said in a statement. He urged the government to take the Shia community and the leaders of other religious bodies and law & order agencies into confidence so that the Ashura procession on the 10th Muharram is made possible.
