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Hurriyat meets first time after Article 370 abrogation
He posted a video of meeting his colleagues, including senior members Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Lone, on social networking site X
Hurriyat leaders of moderate faction led by chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq met for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, prompting a surprise in the Kashmir valley. Mirwaiz said that the meeting was informal.
He posted a video of meeting his colleagues, including senior members Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Lone, on social networking site X.
“Alhumdulilah! After more than five years, I got a chance to be together with my dear colleagues Professor sb, Bilal sb and Masroor sb,” Mirwaiz wrote.
“An emotional experience of different feelings, including missing colleagues in jail. But happy to see dear Prof sb in good spirits and an alert mind at this age,” he said.
Mirwaiz said that the meeting didn’t discuss anything important. “It was just an informal meet after a long time,” he told HT. “During (my) house arrest they were not allowed to meet,” he said.
While there was a clampdown on separatist leadership, particularly against the hardliners since 2018 with many behind bars under different UAPA and money laundering cases, Mirwaiz was put under house arrest in August 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370. He was allowed to move out after around four years in September 2023 as he approached the high court. He has been able to deliver his sermons at Jamia Masjid Srinagar where he is the chief priest, though he has still been put under house arrest, on and off. The LG government has often claimed that he was not under house arrest but put ‘under security for personal safety’.
In his latest Friday sermon at Jamia Masjid on October 4, after his month long house arrest since September 2, he urged central government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to be pragmatic and start a dialogue over resolution of issues of Jammu and Kashmir, while Hurriyat was ready to assist in the endeavour. He said that the elections were no solution to the J&K issue and the it stands even after the unilateral decisions taken in 2019.
The development comes as Jammu and Kashmir got a new government led by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah who took oath as chief minister on October 16. The new government will have no say in the security issues which come under the purview of lieutenant governor in the union territory.
The Hurriyat meet has already kindled chatter on what the Hurriyat’s meeting now means in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Pleased to hear that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Sahib and his colleagues have finally been allowed to meet after a prolonged period. This indicates a clear shift in the political environment in J&K, a change that holds great potential for advancing the broader interests of the people,” said Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari.
“Despite political and ideological differences, all stakeholders, particularly political entities, can play a positive role in building a better future for J&K—one full of hope, peace, prosperity, and the well-being of its people,” he said.
