Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday questioned the installation of an emblem at the Hazratbal Shrine, saying there was no requirement for it and the error should have been acknowledged instead of defended.
Speaking to reporters in Anantnag, Omar said, “The first question is whether such a plaque should have been installed there in the first place. I have never seen this emblem being used in any religious institution or any function before. Then why was there a need to put up such a stone? If the work was good enough, people themselves would have recognised it.”
Chief Minister recalled that Hazratbal Shrine was given its present shape by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, who never installed any plaque or emblem for recognition. “Even today people remember his work without any nameplate. That shows the stone was never needed,” Omar said.
Reacting to Waqf Board Chairperson Dr Darakshan Andrabi’s remarks on slapping PSA against those who damaged the emblem, Omar said, “First, people’s sentiments were played with. An apology should have been offered, but no one did that. The emblem is meant only for government offices. It cannot be used in any religious institution, whether it is a temple, mosque, or shrine,” CM Omar said. (JKNS)
