Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said that he is ready to engage with the BJP-led Centre for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. “When the APHC (All Parties Hurriyat Conference) was formed by the leadership in 1993, the situation was entirely different with militancy at its peak (in Jammu and Kashmir). Even at that time, the APHC, in its proclamation, had clearly stated that it advocates for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict by engagement and even after 30 years, this outlook remains the same,” the Mirwaiz said addressing the Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid in the city’s Nowhatta area.
Referring to a recent statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BRICS summit that this is not an era of violence but of dialogue and diplomacy, Mirwaiz expressed Hurriyat’s commitment to peace and dialogue. “Hurriyat has always advocated for resolving disputes through talks rather than violence,” he said. “We held multiple rounds of dialogue with former Indian Prime Ministers like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, as well as with Pakistan’s late General Pervez Musharraf. We are still open to talks with the Government of India for a peaceful resolution to this longstanding conflict.”
Mirwaiz, who was under house arrest for over four years following August 2019, recently met with key Hurriyat leaders, including Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone, and Molana Masroor Abbas Ansari. Reflecting on the origins of Hurriyat in 1993, Mirwaiz noted that while militancy was at its peak at the time, Hurriyat stood firm on advocating a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict. “Even amid those difficult days, we championed peace through dialogue. After 30 years, our position remains unchanged: meaningful negotiations, not violence or force, are the sole solution.”
Acknowledging recent bloodshed, including the killings in Ganderbal’s Gagangeer and Gulmarg’s high-security zone, Mirwaiz stressed the need for thorough investigations into these serious incidents. A special prayer was held for deceased pro-freedom leaders, honouring their memory. A local doctor and six non-local labourers were gunned down by terrorists at a tunnel-construction site in the Gagangir area of Ganderbal on Sunday, while the attack in the Gulmarg area in north Kashmir’s Baramulla on Thursday left four people, including two soldiers, dead.
“The recent killings in Gagangir are shocking and disturbing. Now, we hear of killings in the high-security area of Gulmarg. These are very serious matters that can escalate and should be investigated,” the Hurriyat chief said.
