Every religion should be protected: Farooq on Assam’s ‘namaz’ break row

Veteran J&K politician and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that governments must protect every religion citing India’s unity in diversity as he castigated the doing away of 2-hour ‘namaz’ break provided to Muslim legislators on Fridays in Assam.

Abdullah, while talking to the mediapersons in Srinagar after visiting a shrine, said, “A time will come when this will change. Nothing remains forever.”

“We will tell them, the government in Assam, that these things shouldn’t be done. This country has unity in diversity. The country has every religion, every language and different practices. Take Tamil Nadu, Bengal or Maharashtra or any other state; there are different practices. That is why India has a federal structure and we have to protect every religion,” the former J&K chief minister (CM) said.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday announced discontinuing the precedence of two-hour break on Fridays in the state assembly provided to Muslim legislators.

Abdullah said J&K also has to take care of its citizens as well irrespective of their religion. “Similarly in Kashmir we have to take care of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists – all of them. If we will have a good attitude towards them, then it will be good across the country,” he said.

Focus on nation building: NC to Mehbooba

While welcoming Jamaat-e-Islami’s plunge into assembly elections, Farooq said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti should avoid pointing fingers at NC and instead focus on nation building.

Mufti had Friday targeted the NC, alleging that it had started the politics of haram (prohibited) and halal (permissible) in J&K after NC vice president Omar Abdullah had taken a jibe at JeI’s decision to fight elections. “I won’t say anything about her. She should walk on her path keeping in mind that the nation needs to be saved and has to be taken forward. Raising fingers won’t do anything and she should shun this path,” he said.

NC vice president Omar Abdullah had taken a jibe at banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) members for deciding to fight the upcoming assembly elections, stating that what was once ‘haram’ is now being considered ‘halal’.

The members of JeI have now again decided to fight the assembly elections after the Centre had in 2019 imposed a five-year ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir, citing the outfit’s alleged ties with militant groups. At-least five former members have filed nominations in the first phase for which elections will be held on September 18, the first assembly election since the Centre revoked the special status of J&K.