Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was once again placed under house arrest on Friday, ahead of the polling in Srinagar, has reiterated to “fight for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue and desisted from issuing a boycott call”, unlike the past.
“The government of India made drastic unilateral changes and complicated the dynamics of the Kashmir issue in 2019. The alterations have further disempowered people. In the changed circumstances, issuing a boycott call does not seem to carry the sense or yield the impact like in the past. People of J&K, who have been baptised by fire from decades old conflict, have enough political maturity and wisdom to know what best to do in the current situation. I trust their judgment,” the Mirwaiz said.
The Mirwaiz was referring to the split of J&K into two Union Territories in 2019. Elaborating on the boycott policy of the Hurriyat, the Mirwaiz said there never were reservations about the idea of elections. “Constituents of the united Hurriyat, like People’s Conference of Abdul Gani Lone sahab, Jamaat-e-Islami, members of Muslim United Front and some others did participate in elections held before 1990,” he said.
