Eid-ul-Fitr Being Celebrated with Fervour and Harmony Across Jammu Kashmir | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated with religious fervour, joy and communal harmony across Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, with thousands of devotees offering prayers at mosques and Eidgahs to mark the end of the holy month of Ramazan.

Eid congregations are being held peacefully across the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region, with no untoward incidents reported. Authorities have put in place elaborate security, sanitation and traffic arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of prayers at major venues.

In Srinagar, large numbers of devotees, including National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, offered prayers at the Hazratbal Shrine. Due to inclement weather in the Valley, most congregations were held in local mosques instead of open Eidgah grounds, though designated arrangements were made in some districts.

Authorities, however, did not permit the Eid congregation at historic Jamia Masjid. “For the seventh consecutive year, amid restrictions and house arrests, Eid prayers remain barred at Jama Masjid. A day of celebration turned to grief and denial for Muslims,” Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir, posted on X. “It’s an irony of our times that those who lock our mosques and Eidgahs are the first to wish us, Eid Mubarak!”

In Jammu, the main congregation was held at the Eidgah ground, where hundreds participated in special prayers. Similar gatherings took place at several locations across the city, including Sidhra, Bathindi, Dogiana, Malik Market, Talab Khatikan.

Festive scenes were witnessed across the Union Territory, with children dressed in new clothes accompanying elders to prayers, while families exchanged greetings and sweets and held social gatherings in homes and neighbourhoods.

Religious scholar Mufti Bilal, in his message, urged people to celebrate with simplicity, gratitude and compassion, and to remember the needy while promoting brotherhood and praying for lasting peace.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah extended greetings, highlighting the values of compassion, unity and service associated with the festival and expressing hope for peace and prosperity in the region.

Eid-ul-Fitr, observed on the first day of Shawwal, marks the culmination of the month-long fasting period of Ramazan.