Delivering his first sermon after being released from house detention after 4 years, Mirwaiz said, "four years of his house detention were the worst period of his life after his father’s death.”

 

“I was allowed to deliver a sermon on the pulpit of Jamia Masjid after 212 consecutive Fridays. People are aware that after August, 04, 2019, I was kept under house detention and I was

 not being allowed to move out of my home, due to which I couldn’t perform my duties as Mirwaiz” he said.

 

Mirwaiz said that after approaching the court, a few police officers visited him yesterday and informed him that he is being released and can visit Jamia Masjid tomorrow to offer Friday 

prayers.

 

“It is all because of the prayers of people that I am here again to deliver the sermon,” he said, adding that it was quite difficult for him to stay away from the pulpit for four years.

 

“As a Mirwaiz, I have the responsibility to raise the voice for the people. I want to tell my people that it is the time to be patient, to keep faith in the Almighty,” he said.

 

He said that Hurriyat believes that J&K’s one part is in India while the rest two are in Pakistan and China, and by merging them fully J&K will be complete, which it was on August 14, 1947. “Therefore, this issue needs to be resolved. J&K issue can be a territorial issue for many, but for the people of J&K it is a humanitarian issue,” he said.

 

Reacting to the statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Ukraine issue, Mirwaiz said that he was right in saying that the present era is not of war. “We too have been advocating for the resolution of the J&K issue through dialogue. Following the path of peace, we had to bear difficulties, but unfortunately, we were branded as separatists, anti-national and anti-peace. But we don’t have any personal ambition, we only want a peaceful resolution of the J & K issue,” he said.

 

“It is because of our peaceful mission that we continued to appeal for the return of Kashmiri migrants,” he said.

 

He also demanded the release of all political prisoners, journalists, lawyers, civil society members and the youth as well. After delivering sermons, Mirwaiz appealed to the gathering

 to leave the Jamia Masjid peacefully. He said that Kashmiri Pandits should be welcomed wholeheartedly in their homeland.