SRINAGAR: Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq, addressed a large gathering at Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid, detailing the worshippers about his first public meeting with his colleagues since August 2019. Mostly under house arrest since that time, Mirwaiz reunited with APHC colleagues, Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone, and Masroor Ansari, after a separation of more than five years, in what he described as an “emotional” occasion.
Reflecting on the years spent apart, Mirwaiz expressed sorrow for APHC leaders who had passed away during this period, including Syed Ali Geelani, Moulana Abbas Ansari, Musaddiq Adil, and Ashraf Sehrai. He also highlighted the plight of APHC leaders still detained in prisons, including Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Asiya Andrabi, Shahidul Islam, Nayeem Khan, Qasim Phaktoo, Masarat Alam, Peer Hafizullah, Ayaz Akbar, and others.
While delivering the sermons, he touched on Kashmir’s evolving circumstances, both locally and in response to global changes, and the APHC’s steadfast commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict. Mirwaiz recalled that the APHC, formed in 1993 at a time of peak militancy, had from the outset advocated for peace and dialogue as a solution. “Thirty years later, our commitment to this approach remains unchanged,” he said.
Mirwaiz referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks at the BRICS summit, which emphasised the importance of dialogue over warfare in addressing conflicts, seeing this as an opportunity to renew peaceful engagement on Kashmir. He pointed to Modi’s predecessors, from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Dr Manmohan Singh, and Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf, saying that Hurriyat is “always ready to engage” with New Delhi’s current government to prevent further bloodshed in Kashmir.
Addressing recent violence, Mirwaiz expressed his alarm over incidents such as the killing in Gagangeer and reports of unrest in the high-security area of Gulmarg, calling for thorough investigations.
