Mirwaiz at Jamia Masjid, a Hurriyat meeting, talk of resolution signal more changes after J&K polls

In the 3 Fridays that person passed since the results connected October 4, Mirwaiz has not conscionable addressed the Friday prayers, helium has besides made statements seeking solution of Kashmir issue and reconciliation, and denounced the sidesplitting of 7 workers successful a targeted militant onslaught adjacent Sonamarg.

Soon aft his gathering with Hurriyat leaders, Mirwaiz, who is the president of the conglomerate, posted connected X: “Alhumdulilah! (Thank God). After much than 5 years, I got a accidental to beryllium unneurotic with my beloved colleagues… An affectional acquisition of antithetic feelings, including missing colleagues successful jail.”

Those contiguous did not talk publically astir what was discussed astatine the meeting, particularly if separatist authorities figured oregon the caller elections, successful which the pro-Pakistan separatist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami returned to the governmental fray for the archetypal clip aft 1987, with a faction supporting candidates.

However, determination was small uncertainty that the gathering signified a wide displacement successful the upwind blowing from New Delhi since the elections – which were the archetypal aft the abrogation of Article 370, and saw mostly enthusiastic information by the Valley.

Five years ago, adjacent earlier the August 5, 2019, changes successful J&K’s peculiar status, the Centre had cracked down connected the separatist enactment successful Kashmir. While Jamaat-e-Islami, Dukhtaran-e-Millat (a women separatist organisation) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front were banned, the full apical separatist enactment barring a fewer were imprisoned. Many were sent to jails extracurricular J&K.

Once Article 370 had been abrogated, the separatists recovered themselves squeezed to the margins, with the crackdown continuing against their enactment system. Mediapersons excessively recovered themselves astatine the receiving extremity of authorities if they carried statements by separatists.

If Mirwaiz spent 4 years successful location detention, hardline Hurriyat person Syed Ali Shah Geelani was not allowed to determination retired of his location till his decease successful September 2021, portion Yasin Malik, Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam were charged nether the UAPA and sent to Tihar successful New Delhi, and proceed to beryllium incarcerated there.

Mirwaiz’s statements from the pulpit of Jamia Masjid now, arsenic good arsenic done property statements and interviews to nationalist and planetary media, are a breaking of this separatist silence. In the past fewer days, the socio-religious person has advocated “peaceful resolution” of the Kashmir issue, and has besides said that the Hurriyat is “always acceptable to engage” with New Delhi.

This easing of the unit connected separatist leaders coincides with the Modi authorities moving to easiness tensions on its borders. While India and China person made a breakthrough connected the standoff implicit the Line of Actual Control, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s sojourn to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering is being seen arsenic a caller start.

On whether determination was a change, a elder Hurriyat person said: “I conjecture we volition person to hold to spot however the concern develops aft the cooling disconnected of India-China borderline tensions. It is excessively aboriginal to foretell however things volition move.”

Asked astir the developments, elder Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) person Naeem Akhtar said: “It is getting interesting, 1 has to hold and watch… Common consciousness encourages 1 to deliberation determination is immoderate guardant movement. But fixed that India’s strategical interests are subservient to interior politics, 1 needs to beryllium optimistic.”

National Conference main spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said they person ever advocated dialogue. “Anything that contributes to bid successful J&K is ever welcome… We person ever advocated dialogue, firmly believing that immoderate resolution, nary substance however challenging, tin lone beryllium achieved done unfastened and constructive conversation… However, if these meetings (of the Hurriyat) person abruptly started, lone those progressive tin explicate wherefore they were soundless until now.”