Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz drops Hurriyat chairman tag from his X profile amid crackdown on separatists

Calling it a “Hobson’s choice”, Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday removed the designation “Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference” from his verified X (formerly Twitter) profile, retaining only his name and location details.

In a strongly worded statement on X; Mirwaiz wrote, “For some time now, I was being pressed by the authorities to make changes to my X (formerly Twitter) handle as Hurriyat chairman, as all constituents of Hurriyat Conference, including the Awami Action Committee that I head have been banned under the UAPA, making Hurriyat a banned organisation, failing which they will take down my handle”.

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“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 the outside world. Under such circumstances, it is a Hobson’s choice I was left to make”, he added.

Mirwaiz has over 2.31 lakh followers on the social media platform that is closely tracked for political signals and his Friday sermons in the Jama Masjid.

Mirwaiz’s Awami Action Committee (AAC) was, some time ago, banned by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella separatist organisation, has remained politically dormant after having been banned by the government after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Several Hurriyat leaders are in jail, and Mirwaiz also remained under house arrest for a few months.

The APHC, once a dominant political force articulating separatist aspirations in Kashmir, has seen its influence evaporate following the arrest of its leaders and financial probes against its constituents.