In rare praise, Mirwaiz auds J&K MPs over Op Sindoor debate

The special debate on Operation Sindoor in Parliament found a mention in the sermon of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq here on Friday, with the Hurriyat Conference chief offering rare praise for the speeches made by three MPs from Jammu and Kashmir during it.
National Conference parliamentarians Mian Altaf Ahmad (Anantnag-Rajouri seat) and Aga Ruhullah Mehdi (Srinagar) were among those who spoke during the debate, as did Independent MP Engineer Sheikh Rashid (Baramulla). Jailed in Tihar on UAPA charges, Rashid got permission from court to attend the House proceedings.
Mirwaiz Farooq commended the three MPs, saying they spoke “with passion and pain about the disempowerment and dispossession” of the people of J&K.
“A few days back in Parliament, there was a debate on the India–Pakistan war after the heinous Pahalgam incident, and different views by different political parties of India with regard to the war, its purpose, success or failure were put forward,” Mirwaiz, who is also the Valley’s chief cleric, said, while giving his sermon at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid.
“Very few, and mostly in the Opposition, talked of the human aspect of the war and its costs, and its correlation to J&K,” he said. Adding that this “reflects the mindset and mood of the times”, Mirwaiz went on to speak about the speeches by MPs from J&K.
“Mian Altaf Sahib, Engineer Rashid Sahib, and Aga Ruhullah Sahib were the only ones to highlight the deep concerns and plight of the people at the epicentre of the basic problem and the current debate,” Mirwaiz said. “They spoke with passion and pain about the disempowerment and dispossession of the people of J&K, and expressed the sentiments of the people of J&K that we have all along been talking about. It is good to see that, on these matters, all are on the same page.”
Separatist leaders are mostly critical of mainstream politics and politicians, and boycott elections held for Parliament and the Assembly in Kashmir. With the public representatives seen as, in a way, fulfilling Delhi’s agenda, separatist leaders also avoid any interaction with them.
Mirwaiz’s praise for the three MPs was therefore rare, especially as he heads the separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference.
In his sermon, the Hurriyat chief reiterated that engagement between the stakeholders in India and Pakistan was the only viable option for resolution of all issues. “I have always believed that neither war, nor violence, nor use of force can solve problems, or lead to peace and prosperity, which the billions of people in the Indian subcontinent seek, and the poor in this region deserve. Engagement at all levels is a far cheaper and evolved alternative,” he said.
Mirwaiz added that he could only hope that what the Kashmiri parliamentarians said was heard by those in power in New Delhi, and that if they really wanted to lessen “dil ki doori (the gap between the hearts of the people of Kashmir and other parts of India)”, they must pay heed to it.
Addressing a rally in Srinagar in September 2024, before the J&K elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said he, his government and party were working to remove both “dil ki doori” and “Dilli se doori (the distance between Delhi and Kashmir)”.