Kashmir’s Mirwaiz Umar Bats For Permanent Ceasefire Between India-Pakistan

In his post-Friday sermon customary political speech from the pulpit at Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid or Grand Mosque, the Mirwaiz called the recent India-Pakistan escalation “a human tragedy, not just a political crisis”. He said, “We have just gone through another harrowing experience that this festering conflict ignited, hours close to an all-out war between two nuclear countries”.

He asserted that even the “limited escalation” was enough to destroy the lives of those living along and across the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K. “Dozens of precious lives lost, homes and livelihood destroyed. The image of the smiling twins, the 12-year-old Zain and Urwa, will continue to haunt us,” he said, adding, “How their mother is coping with it while their father is battling for life in the hospital, tears the heart”. He said that the pain runs deep.

During his emotional outpouring which was reflected also in one of his social media posts, the Mirwaiz said, “From afar for the world, Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint which can explode anytime. For India and Pakistan, it is a territorial issue, but for the people of J&K living the reality of this conflict daily, it is a bleeding wound that refuses to heal”.

Asking how long are the people of J&K going to suffer and live in fear and uncertainty, he lamented that while everyone is talking about Kashmir, no one is talking to Kashmir—to its people, those who live here”.

Posing a barrel of questions, he said, “What do we want for us, our dreams for our future generations, our yearning for peace? Will our wounds ever heal? Will this conflict ever be resolved?”

The Mirwaiz who heads several political and religious organisations including a faction of separatist Hurriyat Conference said, “With each such episode (the recent escalation), the problem gets more difficult. Military brinkmanship only leads to disaster, as we know and just saw, and to more arms sales—never to peace”. He asked, “But do India and Pakistan want peace, or one-upmanship, people of Kashmir wonder.”

The Mirwaiz said that as far as the people of Jammu and Kashmir they want peace, not war. “We want resolution, not continuation of the conflict. It is our earnest hope that the ceasefire just announced by the DGsMO of the two countries till the 18th of this month becomes permanent. One wonders if the DGsMO of both sides can talk and reach an agreement; what is preventing India and Pakistan leadership from doing so? But stating the obvious is considered anti-national in present times.”

He conveyed his condolences and sympathies to all those families which lost their loved ones to the “senseless escalation of the conflict”. He said, “No words can compensate for their loss. For the injured, we pray for their quick recovery and appeal to all people to reach out and help the affected families of LoC whose homes and livelihood were destroyed.”

He announced that Dar-ul-Khair Mirwaiz Manzil, a charity working under his supervision, is also reaching out to the affected families “with whatever relief and help we can offer”. He hoped that the concerned authorities will provide them with all assistance to rebuild their lives and asserted, “Living on the LoC, these people are the worst affected and always in danger of peril.”

The Mirwaiz said that the Home Ministry’s banning his J&K Awami Action Committee after declaring it as an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 will be challenged in the court of law.