J&K CM offers prayers at Hazratbal mosque amid national emblem row

Amid a row over the placement of the national emblem on a plaque inside the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday, 6 September, joined devotees at the revered mosque on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi and offered prayers for peace and prosperity in the Union Territory.

An official spokesperson said Abdullah performed Magrib (evening) prayers at the shrine, which houses a relic of Prophet Muhammad, and later joined worshippers in witnessing the holy relic. Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, advisor to the CM Nasir Aslam Wani, and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq were also present.

On the spiritually significant day, Abdullah prayed for “everlasting peace, communal harmony, and the well-being of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.

Extending festival greetings, he urged people to uphold the Prophet’s teachings as guiding principles of unity, compassion, and service to humanity.

The prayers came against the backdrop of a controversy that erupted on Friday after a plaque marking the inauguration of the shrine’s renovation by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board was placed inside the mosque. Several devotees objected, saying the installation of any figure or symbol inside a mosque contravenes Islamic principles of monotheism.

The plaque was vandalised and removed by unidentified individuals after Friday prayers, leading police to register a case. Political parties have since demanded the removal of Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi and an FIR against her for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

With PTI inputs