Friday prayers  could not be offered for the third successive week in historic Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar and other major mosques in Kashmir valley, where life remained crippled for the nineteenth successive day due to restriction and strike against scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35 A.Friday prayers were also not allowed in the shrine of Hazrat Syed Sahab Sonawar as all roads leading to the shrine near the United Nations Military Observers office forIndia and Pakistan were closed to foil UN challo march reportedly called by separatists. Nobody, even media persons were not being allowed to cross the barbed wire placed at Dalgate and Sonawar.

However, prayers were allowed in mosques in the interior areas in the valley.Official sources said that restrictions under section 144 CrPc have been re-imposed in downtown and other parts of Srinagar since early today to prevent protests after Friday prayers.

However, the situation was entirely different on the ground,as all gates leading to Jamia masjid remained closed and people were not allowed to enter the worship place. Hundreds of security forces have been deployed in and around the historic mosque to prevent assembly of people.

Meanwhile, roads leading to Jamia masjid, stronghold of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, were also closed with barbed wires and people were being directed to take alternate routes to reach to their destinations. At Hawal, Nowhatta and Rangar stop security forceshave closed roads to leading Jamia masjied with barbed wire.

Similarly other major masjids in different parts of the valley were also closed for devotees. But, reports of offering of Friday prayers came from smaller local mosques in the valley.