Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is critical of the changes brought in by the Central government in Jammu and Kashmir, and calls for a ‘genuine’ resolution to the region’s political issues.
New Delhi: Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, since the abrogation of Article 370 has been facing significant restrictions on his movements and has delivered only a few Friday sermons at the historic Jama Masjid, Srinagar, in the last five years.
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Guardian, the Chief of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (moderate faction) which was considered a dominant political force till 2019, said, “I want to play a role in the resolution of this political and humanitarian issue. I don’t think any civic election can serve as a means to resolve the larger political issue.”
He further added that the changes brought in by the central government post 2019 has taken all the powers from the elected legislature, and given it to the lieutenant governor, who is an appointee of the central government.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Since August 2019, you haven’t been allowed to step outside your home. In recent months, you have delivered a few sermons on Fridays and made some public appearances. Are you a free man now?
A: I have faced significant restrictions since August 2019, including house arrest and limitations on my movements. I was partially released from house arrest in September 2023 after legal intervention, yet my freedom remains constrained. I have to seek permission for any movement outside my residence, and since the announcement of elections, I have been placed under house arrest again. Therefore, I am not a fully free man, as my activities are monitored and restricted by the authorities and I can be detained anytime at home by them.
Q: From New Delhi, it is being said that Jammu and Kashmir has transformed, and it is only because Article 370 was abrogated. How true is that? What is your take on it?
A: In August 2019, drastic unilateral changes were executed. Without any care for the will of its people, New Delhi broke the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two parts and downgraded it from a state to a UT! The constitutional commitment made to the people under Article 370 was withdrawn and people lost safeguards over land, jobs and resources guaranteed under Article 35A.
The state became a transmogrified version of its original self, and through the Reorganisation Act 2019 and similar measures that followed, has led to disempowerment, disinheritance and division of its people, fearful of losing their identity and anxious about demographic change. The changes were accompanied by increase in coercion and surveillance of people including arrests, and slapping of PSA and UAPA, dismissals from government service, acquisition and attachment of their properties, severe communication gags social media and suppression of civil liberties. Overt turmoil may have decreased, but there is a strong latent resistance to these coercive and authoritarian changes and measures.
Q. Ever since Article 370 was abrogated, Hurriyat has been pushed to the side, and it seems that it has lost its space. What are your thoughts on this?
A: Hurriyat Conference represents the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Kashmir. It’s a fact that its organisational strength has been severely affected by crackdowns and arrests since 2017. Many of our leaders and activists are incarcerated, and most constituents have been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Communication restrictions, surveillance, and media blackouts have further limited our functioning and outreach. I am myself under repeated house arrest. Despite these severe challenges, as long as both India and Pakistan claim J&K in its entirety, the Kashmir conflict remains unresolved and the sentiment of the people persist, Hurriyat’s relevance endures.
Q: You used to speak to people and appear on national television, but since 2019, you have rarely spoken to the media. Are you being sidelined by the union government and their agencies?
A: My ability to communicate has been significantly hindered since 2019. Restrictions on my movement, house arrest, and the need to seek permission for any engagement have been limited, along with my public appearances and interactions with the media.
Additionally, Hurriyat statements are banned from publication in local and vernacular media, and even on social networks. These measures have curtailed our outreach and the ability to engage with the public and the media.
Q: What is stopping you from entering electoral politics?
A: The fact of the larger conflict and it’s ensuring uncertainty and suffering, which has kept generations of Kashmiris in a quandary – taking a huge toll on their lives and well-being, seeking a resolution and a closure to it.
I want to play a role in the resolution of this political and humanitarian issue and I do not see electoral politics which is basically for administrative and governance purpose, be of any help in that.
I don’t think any civic election can serve as a means to resolve the larger political issue. Since the age of 17 when my father was martyred and I became the Mirwaiz, I have followed his path which was later incorporated in the constitution of the Hurriyat Conference when it was formed, that is, the advocacy of engagement and deliberation to address the sentiment of people as the means of resolution. Resolution should be implemented through peace and cooperation rather than coercion or violence.
Q: We are about to witness Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after a decade. What are your expectations, given the fact that now Jamaat-e-Islami is also contesting along with Engineer Rashid?
A: The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019, and the recent amendments to it have more or less rendered the elected legislature almost powerless, by granting broad and sweeping executive powers to the lieutenant governor appointed by the central government.
Electoral gerrymandering of the constituencies, increase in constituencies in one region as against the other, and concerted effort to fragment and consolidate the electoral landscape in the two regions respectively to manipulate the outcome has unfortunately made these elections inequitable.
The regional parties and groups participating under these conditions without standing united has let down people who are looking for some relief and safeguards in them.
Q. It is being said that this ploy to get Jamaat and Engineer Rashid together is being run from Delhi to spoil the electoral arithmetic of NC and PDP. What is your take on it?
A: Regional parties and groups should work together to serve the collective interests of their people and provide them much needed relief.
Fragmentation only serves to deepen divisions among people and undermine the interests of the populace, which should be prime motivation of every political party. We emphasise the need for unity among them and caution against falling for strategies that will weaken the position of those advocating for the rights and aspirations of the people.
Q. Have you ever been contacted by New Delhi since 2019? You visited Delhi earlier this year as well. Has the prime minister, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, NSA Ajit Doval, or home minister ever had a word with you in these five years?
A: Since 2019 I have mainly been confined to my house. While we remain open to dialogue and have held talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, we also reached out through media for engagement in 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.
But the dispensation in New Delhi seems to have a different take and approach on this issue. I have had no meetings with any one of them, but am hopeful that it will happen.
Q: Agencies play a huge role in Jammu and Kashmir. Did the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence Bureau, or any other agency try to contact you? What were the talks like? How has the engagement been?
A: There have been a few interactions, but in the context of restrictions on my movement, house arrest, and the need to seek permission for any activity rather than anything constructive.
Q: The union government’s stand on having engagement with Pakistan is clear: there is no formal or informal communication between the two neighbours. What is your take on it?
A: As I said earlier, as long as both India and Pakistan claim J&K, the conflict persists. Even China, more so after 2019, has entered the conflict. There are international and bilateral commitments made by India and Pakistan on the conflict. Hurriyat believes that meaningful engagement among stakeholders is the peaceful way out of it. People of J&K are getting grinded in this conflict. It’s not just a political issue but also a humanitarian one that has consumed generations.
It’s an issue of divided families and friends on both sides of LOC, of the return of Kashmiri Pandits as to their homeland. The lack of communication between India and Pakistan hinders the prospects for peace and reconciliation and affects us the most. That’s why we are vociferous advocates of talks.
Q: What is the future of Hurriyat now? Former Hurriyat member Syed Saleem Geelani has joined PDP, and Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, the son of prominent Shia cleric and Hurriyat leader has also joined PDP?
A: Hurriyat Conference represents aspirations and sentiments of a people. As long as the sentiment is strong and the desire for justice prevalent among people, those to represent it will be there in spite of the pushback and hardships they may face. Individuals come and go, organisations also get made and unmade. The underlying reason and principle should be strong and fair.
Hurriyat though its efforts, will continue to seek a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict through dialogue and political engagement and prosperity for the whole region.
Q. Ram Madhav has taken the charge in J&K Assembly Elections. He was leading the team in 2014 as well which led to the alliance between BJP and PDP. Did he ever contact you? Has there been an engagement between you and him in the last few months or in the last five years?
A: No, there has been no engagement between us.