New Delhi’s strategic engagement with Mirwaiz suggests a potential shift in Kashmir’s political dynamics.
New Delhi: For the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, New Delhi appears to be re-engaging with the Hurriyat Conference, with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at the centre of this development.
The top separatist leader and key religious figure recently spent more than two weeks in the national capital, meeting influential figures, including National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah and representatives of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
His prolonged stay in New Delhi, his first such visit in recent years, has fuelled speculation about a potential backchannel dialogue between the Centre and Kashmir’s separatist leadership— something that has been unheard of in the last five years.
Unlike other separatist leaders, most of whom remain imprisoned across the country, Mirwaiz was placed under house-arrest after the abrogation of Article 370. However, there have been notable changes in recent months, as he has resumed delivering Friday sermons at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid, signalling a softening stance from the authorities.
He arrived in the capital before the Joint Committee of Parliament discussing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and met key stakeholders. He also met senior Muslim religious leaders, before departing for Kashmir this week.
His visit to New Delhi, followed by high-profile meetings, suggests that New Delhi may be looking to ease tensions in Kashmir through limited political engagement with Hurriyat.
Sources privy to these developments, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Sunday Guardian that Mirwaiz’s arrival in New Delhi could not have been possible without a green signal from the highest levels of the political and security apparatus.
“There is an understanding between the two, and there are possibilities that these backchannel engagements are likely to continue”, the source added.
It is pertinent to note that Mirwaiz has long been a key figure in Kashmir’s political and religious landscape, particularly in downtown Srinagar, where he commands significant influence.
His past engagements with New Delhi during the tenures of former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh were seen as bold steps toward reconciliation, but these backchannel talks lost momentum after 2014.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi largely sidelining separatist voices post-2019, this sudden shift after the Assembly elections is being closely watched.
While it remains unclear whether these talks will lead to any concrete peace process, one thing is clear: New Delhi is making strategic and calculated moves, with Mirwaiz’s behind-the-scenes engagement at the heart of this new beginning.