NEW DELHI: The Ind­ian administration shut down Srinagar’s Jama Masjid on Friday and put Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest yet again with a view to stifling protests against a human catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.

The reimposed closure of occupied Kashmir’s historic mosque stalled a Friday congregation that recently resumed for the first time since India annulled occupied Kashmir’s special status in Aug 2019.

The fresh measures against the Mirwaiz and his traditional address to Friday worshippers followed what looked like the unveiling of a new Indian policy that extends support to Israel and commits Palestine to a stony silence.

On Thursday, however, the Ministry of External Affairs, apparently responding to opposition pressure and chaos in Arab countries, said India believes in its long-standing support for the establishment of a “sovereign, independent and viable” state of Palestine.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Israeli counterpart and friend Benjamin Netanyahu soon after the Hamas raid on Oct 7.

Mr Modi condemned what he called terrorism, a term even leading western media outlets, such as the BBC, desist from using even though they are sympathetic to Israel.

The Mirwaiz had condemned the unabated abuse of Palestinians by Israel, and Friday’s clampdown in Srinagar was possibly a worried response to that.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2023