Hurriyat ready for talks with Centre: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Hurriyat Conference chairman and Jamia Masjid’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed readiness on Friday for engagement with the Centre, stating that the Hurriyat Conference has always favoured a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict. Addressing a gathering at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid, Mirwaiz emphasised that, despite changing circumstances since the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was established in 1993, the group’s commitment to peace through dialogue remains unchanged.

“When the APHC was formed, militancy was at its peak, yet we advocated for a peaceful resolution by engagement. Thirty years later, this outlook remains the same,” he said. Mirwaiz pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks at the BRICS summit, where he endorsed diplomacy over conflict, as an encouraging sign for dialogue.

He also recalled past engagements with former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, and Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf, asserting that the APHC is open to discussions with the current leadership.

He urged for caution amid these developments, emphasising the importance of dialogue for stability in Kashmir.