Mirwaiz Kashmir and chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Umar Farooq, on Friday said that the conflict between India and Pakistan persists due to unrelenting claims of both countries on Kashmir.

“The Indian government asserts that the Pakistan-Administered Kashmir (PAK) is its territory, while Pakistan claims the Indian-Administered Kashmir (IAK) as its own. Our future is uncertain, and the conflict continues,” the Mirwaiz said during his Friday sermon at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid after four weeks of ‘detention’.

He said, “It is ridiculous that I am detained at will by authorities, and worse that it is denied in public. Despite their best efforts to project it otherwise and suppress the truth, the fact of my detention can’t be denied in this age of information.”

Calling for dialogue, the Mirwaiz criticised detentions and religious restrictions in Kashmir.

“The powers involved in the conflict don’t look at Kashmir as a humanitarian issue, which has consumed generations of Kashmiris yearning for a solution and closure to the conflict. We want an end to the pain of families divided across the LOC since 1947, and post-1990, the suffering of the Kashmiri Pandit community that migrated. This pulpit has always stood for humanity and the rights of all people of J&K,” he said.

Mirwaiz said, “That is why we repeatedly advocate peaceful means of outreach and dialogue. We already have the previous framework of dialogue from Vajpayee Ji’s and Manmohan Singh Ji’s time, to begin with and work around. I hope that after the election results, political parties and individuals will rise to the occasion and collectively prioritise people’s interest and safeguard their rights, rather than personal and party interests.”

“Yet the kind of disempowerment and dispossession that we have witnessed since August 2019 has left the people of J&K with some hope that it may give them some relief and a say in their daily matters,” the Mirwaiz said.

He also cautioned the authorities that any attempt to change important days in the Islamic calendar of J&K, such as during the month of Rabi-ul Awal recently, will be strongly resisted by the people. “The attempt to politicise this religious issue will not be accepted by the Muslims of J&K.” He also sought answers from the J&K administration as to why the historic Jamia Masjid is closed on important religious occasions, such as Shab-e-Qadr, Rabi-ul Awal, and Jumat-ul-Vida.

Referring to the recently concluded assembly elections, Mirwaiz said, “It is unfortunate that at this crucial juncture, the regional political organisations and individuals who contested could not come together and jointly fight for the great challenges before the people.”

He added, “Civic elections in a UT that J&K was downgraded to in 2019 are limiting in giving any real power to its residents, and they have been rendered almost meaningless after further amendments made to the Reorganisation Act, which granted sweeping executive powers to the LG.”

The Mirwaiz further said, “The military domination of Israel and its refusal to resolve the conflict in a just and peaceful manner by accepting the natural rights of Palestinians over their land, and instead choosing force and military might, has made the whole region vulnerable, leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians, including children, which is deeply distressing.

Condemning the double standards of the military power US, he remarked, “While it is arming Israel with bombs and missiles and promoting its own arms industry, it is calling for a ceasefire. These military powers merely want an arms market, so conflicts are a great opportunity for them. We don’t want such a situation in this region.”