Srinagar, March 08 (KMS): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, no night-long prayers will be held at the revered shrine of Hazratbal, Srinagar, on the coming Shab-e-Me’raj, this year.
Last year, the shrine had also remained completely shut and no gathering was held on the Shab-e-Me’raj due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, again, the pandemic is stated to affecting the observance of night-long prayers at the shrine.
These prayers would otherwise have been held during the intervening night of upcoming Thursday and Friday.
Officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Wakf Board, who oversee the functioning and affairs of shrines across the valley, said that after holding several rounds of talks and deliberations with the entire shrine management, including the caretakers of the holy relics, they came to the conclusion that no night-long prayers should be held to prevent the huge gathering of people inside the shrine.
On this occasion, usually, thousands of devotees from all parts of Kashmir valley throng to Hazratbal shrine to offer night-long prayers with loud calls of special prayers and supplication resounding till the morning amid emotional scenes, later followed by the displaying of holy relics.
