Srinagar, Dec 26, KDC: The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) on Friday launched a sharp attack on Mirwaiz Umar Farooq after he removed the designation of ‘Chairman, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC)’ from his verified X profile, citing pressure from authorities following the ban on all Hurriyat constituent factions under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Mirwaiz, a moderate separatist voice and chief cleric of Kashmir, revealed in a post on X that authorities had pressed him to edit his profile since Hurriyat is now a banned organisation, and threatened to take down his handle if he did not comply.
“For some time now, I was being pressed by the authorities to make changes to my X (formerly Twitter) handle as Hurriyat chairman, since all constituent factions of the Hurriyat Conference, including the Awami Action Committee that I head, have been banned under the UAPA, making Hurriyat a banned organisation. Failing which, they threatened to take down my handle,” he said.
He added that the platform remained one of the few avenues left for outreach.
“At a time when public space and avenues of communication stand severely restricted, this platform remains among the very few means available to me to reach out to my people and share my views on our issues with them and with the outside world. Under such circumstances, it was a Hobson’s choice I was left to make,” Mirwaiz wrote.
The Mirwaiz, who has more than two lakh followers, was not immediately available for comments. His own organisation, the Awami Action Committee (AAC), has also been banned by the Centre under the stringent anti-terror law.
Formed in 1993, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was a major separatist conglomerate capable of coordinating mass shutdowns and political mobilizations. Its influence, however, has eroded significantly over the past decade due to infighting and sustained central crackdowns, particularly after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, following which most of its constituent groups were banned and many leaders booked or arrested under stringent laws.
Meanwhile, JKPC President and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone, cautioned politicians against invoking religious history for political mileage, in an apparent reference to Mirwaiz.
“It is my humble appeal to politicians in Kashmir to refrain from going into a religious overstretch. This is in reference to invoking events in Islamic history and drawing parallels with petty politics of the current era. A surrender in lieu of protocol and CRPF security should not ever be compared with the peace treaty of Hudaybiyah in Mecca,” Lone posted on X.
The party’s jibes intensified further when JKPC General Secretary and Shia leader, Imran Reza Ansari, issued a strongly worded response, accusing Mirwaiz of masking fear as philosophy.
“Between fear of the state and fear of Allah (SWT), there is always a choice… On Qiyamah, there is no Hobson’s choice only hisab. Your decision is welcome. But don’t dress fear as philosophy. Don’t dress fear as philosophy!! Because on Qiyamah there is no Hobson’s choice only hisab,” Ansari wrote.
He added, “Pressure doesn’t create fear, guilt does. A man firm on truth doesn’t panic over a social-media handle.”
Earlier in the day, PDP leader and MLA Pulwama, Waheed Ur Rehman Para, posted a strong message of support on X, urging that the decision must not be politicised or weaponised.
“In the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ agreed to erase the words ‘Muhammad-ur-Rasoolullah’—the very foundation of the Kalima—solely in the interest of peace. History remembers this not as compromise, but as wisdom, foresight, and moral courage,” Waheed Para wrote.
“If Mirwaiz Kashmir has removed the APHC tag as an act of peace, it must never be weaponized against him. Choosing peace over rigidity is not weakness; it is leadership,” he added.
“Mirwaiz has acted within the framework of law and circumstances. Those attacking and trolling him are deliberately trying to undermine him, making his path harder despite the extraordinary challenges he has endured and the supreme sacrifice of his father. Such attacks do not serve justice or peace, they only deepen division,” Para said.
Reacting to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq removing the APHC chairman tag from his verified X profile “under significant pressure,” PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, while addressing a press conference, said, “Hurriyat is an idea, not an individual that you can put in jail.” (KDC)
