New Delhi: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir's chief cleric, has removed the title of 'chairman' of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) from his X handle (previously Twitter), claiming a verbal directive from the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
Mirwaiz said he was compelled to make the change, after authorities warned that his account would be taken down in view of the ban on the Hurriyat constituents under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The bio on Mirwaiz's X handle, edited on Thursday evening, only contains his name and basic location details now. He has more than two lakh followers.
"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.
"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," Mirwaiz said on X.
A J&K police team of "several high-ranking" officers is reported to have verbally conveyed the authorities' directive to Mirwaiz, who was also the first chairman of the APHC when it was created in 1993 following the killing of his father, Mirwaiz Farooq. The APHC was largely regarded as a means of communication between Kashmiri militants and the Indian government during the early 1990s armed uprising, Indian Express reported.
After Article 370 was abrogated, the Union government went on to ban all separatist organisations linked to the Hurriyat in Kashmir by invoking provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said that he is facing pressure and coercion from the authorities, describing the situation as deeply distressing. He has maintained that these actions do not alter his long-held position or his association with the Hurriyat, which he said remains centred on its core demand for a resolution of the Kashmir issue.
According to one of his close aides, officials also informed the Mirwaiz on Friday that he would not be permitted to lead the afternoon congregational prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar’s downtown area.
In the past as well, authorities have prevented him from offering Friday prayers at the mosque in the Nowhatta locality, citing concerns that his presence could lead to law and order issues in the old city.