SRINAGAR: Barely a few days ahead of the outcome of the historic election, Kashmir cleric Mirwiaz Umer Farooq said the dismantling of the organisational structure has not impacted the “Kashmir sentiment”. He said the Middle East situation is a huge lesson for the India-Pakistan leadership.
Mirwaiz said the ruling BJP must follow the Vajpayee doctrine on Kashmir as negotiations are the only way out.
Addressing the Friday gathering at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid after being released from over a month of undeclared house arrest, Mirwaiz expressed his dismay over the arbitrary nature of his detention.
“I am detained at will by the authorities, and worse, they publicly deny it. Despite their best efforts to suppress the truth, the fact of my detention cannot be hidden in this age of information,” he said. He referred to recent reports by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), which highlights the increasing political detentions and arrests of religious leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mirwaiz emphasised that, despite attempts to silence the Hurriyat leadership through detentions and legal charges under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the movement remains steadfast. “We are people who seek a peaceful resolution. It is not our weakness; it is our strength,” he said, stressing that peaceful engagement through dialogue is the only way forward. He lamented that many Hurriyat leaders are in prison, but the movement’s objectives of representing the sentiments of the people and advocating for dialogue remain unchanged.
In his speech, Mirwaiz highlighted the complex nature of the Kashmir conflict, describing it as a humanitarian issue that has consumed generations.
“As long as a part of Jammu and Kashmir is in India, a part of it in Pakistan, and some part with China, and both India and Pakistan claim the entire region, our future is uncertain, and the conflict continues,” the cleric remarked. He criticised both India and Pakistan for their territorial claims while ignoring the human cost of the conflict. He stressed that the pain of families divided across the Line of Control (LoC) since 1947, as well as the suffering of the Kashmiri Pandit community that migrated post-1990, must be addressed.
“The powers involved in the conflict do not look at Kashmir as a humanitarian issue,” Mirwaiz continued. “This conflict has consumed generations of Kashmiris who yearn for a solution, for closure.” He advocated for dialogue, referencing the framework laid out during the tenure of former Indian Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, which he believes could be revived to pave the way for peace.
Mirwaiz drew parallels between the Kashmir and the ongoing conflict in Palestine, warning of the dangers of military domination and force. “Look at the Middle East—how the Palestinian conflict is consuming the region and putting the entire world at risk. The military domination of Israel, and its refusal to resolve the conflict peacefully by accepting the natural rights of Palestinians, has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians, including children. It is deeply distressing.”
He criticised global military powers, particularly the United States, for their double standards. “While the US is arming Israel with bombs and missiles, promoting its own arms industry, it simultaneously calls for a ceasefire. These powers see conflicts as opportunities for arms markets. We don’t want such a situation in our region. That is why we repeatedly advocate peaceful means of outreach and dialogue.”
Turning his attention to the recent civic elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Mirwaiz expressed his scepticism about their efficacy in addressing the broader conflict. “Civic elections for governance are no means to resolve this matter. They do not represent the people’s aspirations regarding the conflict,” he stated. He noted that after Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded to a Union Territory in 2019, civic elections became even more limiting, with real power concentrated in the hands of the Lieutenant Governor following amendments to the Reorganisation Act.
However, he acknowledged that despite this disempowerment, the people of Jammu and Kashmir still have some hope that these elections might offer them some relief in their daily lives. He expressed disappointment that regional political organisations and individuals could not come together to jointly address the challenges facing the people of Kashmir. “I hope that after the election results, these political parties will rise to the occasion and prioritise the interests and rights of the people rather than personal and party agendas.”
In his address, Mirwaiz also condemned attempts to politicise religious issues, particularly regarding Islamic calendar events in Jammu and Kashmir. He referred to the recent curtailment of religious practices during the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal and warned the authorities that any further attempts to interfere in religious matters would be strongly resisted by the people. “The attempt to politicise this religious issue will not be accepted by the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir,” he declared.
He further questioned the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s decision to repeatedly close the historic Jamia Masjid during important religious occasions such as Shab-e-Qadr, Rabi-ul-Awwal, and Jumat-ul-Vida. “Can’t you see how the people of Kashmir cooperate in the religious festivals of other communities?” he asked. “We make the Amarnath Yatra a grand success. Why then is Jamia being locked, and prayers disallowed during Islamic festivals?”
