Mirwaiz Urges Centre For Dialogue To Bridge Kashmir Divide Amid Tensions
“I hope those in power in New Delhi heard their words. To reduce the ‘dil ki doori,’ they must listen": Chief Muslim cleric and separatist Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
SRINAGAR: In a significant development, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir's chief Muslim cleric and separatist Hurriyat Conference chairman, on Friday urged the Central government to bridge the emotional divide with the people of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue.
Speaking at Srinagar’s Grand Mosque during Friday prayers, he highlighted the unified voices of three Kashmiri MPs—Mian Altaf Ahmed, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, and Sheikh Abdur Rashid (Engineer Rashid)—during a recent Lok Sabha discussion on Operation Sindoor. The Mirwaiz noted that these MPs passionately articulated the disempowerment and struggles of the Kashmiris, reflecting the region’s sentiments.
“I hope those in power in New Delhi heard their words. To reduce the ‘dil ki doori,’ they must listen,” he said, referring to the MPs’ remarks on the human cost of conflict in J&K amid debates on the India-Pakistan war following the Pahalgam incident.
"A few days back, in the Parliament, there was a debate on the India–Pakistan war after the heinous Pahalgam incident, and different views by different political parties of India with regard to the war, its purpose, success or failure were put forward", he said. He added, "Very few, and mostly in the opposition, talked of the human aspect of the war and its costs therein, and its correlation to J&K, which reflects the mindset and mood of the times. The three MPs from J&K—Mian Altaf Sahib, Engineer Rashid Sahib, and Agha Ruhullah Sahib—were the only ones to highlight the deep concerns and plight of the people at the epicentre of the basic problem and the current debate."
He said the trio was "speaking with passion and pain about the disempowerment and dispossession of the people of J&K and expressing the sentiments of the people of J&K that we have all along been talking about. It is good to see that on these matters all are on the same page. I can only hope that what they said was heard by those in power in New Delhi, and if they really want to lessen 'dil ki doori', they must pay heed to it."
The Mirwaiz emphasized that war, violence, or force cannot resolve issues or bring peace and prosperity to the Indian subcontinent. Instead, he advocated for “engagement at all levels” as a more effective and humane alternative.
Though the Mirwaiz said that he has always believed that neither war, nor violence, or use of force can solve problems and lead to peace and prosperity, which, he insisted, the billions of people in the Indian subcontinent seek, and the swathes of poor in this region deserve and that engagement at all levels is a far cheaper and evolved alternative”.
some observers see in what he said from the rostrum of the historic Jama Masjid believed to be a cornerstone of Kashmir’s religious and political identity and its platform used by the region's leaders like him to influence public sentiment- a shift in moderate separatist thinking, signalling a willingness to engage with the Centre to mend ties between Delhi and Srinagar.
However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during the same Lok Sabha discussion, labelled the Hurriyat Conference a “terrorist outfit” and reiterated the Modi government’s stance against dialogue with it. Shah stated, “We banned Hurriyat’s constituents, and they are behind bars. We will not talk to Hurriyat but to the youth of the Valley,” underscoring the government’s policy of excluding the group from any negotiations.
