SRINAGAR: Senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said that elections in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) cannot resolve the long-standing Kashmir dispute.
Mirwaiz in an interview with media said the changes brought in IIOJK by the Indian government after 2019 have snatched all the powers from the elected legislature, and gave it to the lieutenant governor, who is an appointee of the government of India.
He added he has faced significant restrictions since August 2019, including house arrest and limitations on his movements. “I was partially released from house arrest in September 2023 after legal intervention, yet my freedom remains constrained,” he said.
He went on to say that without any care for the will of its people, India divided Jammu and Kashmir into two parts and downgraded it from a state to a union territory. “The constitutional commitment made to the people under Article 370 was withdrawn and people lost safeguards over land, jobs and resources guaranteed under Article 35A”, he noted.
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Mirwaiz to another question, said the Hurriyat Conference represents the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Kashmir.
He said surveillance, communication restrictions, and media blackouts have further limited their functioning and outreach. He said he himself was under repeated house arrest. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said his ability to communicate has been significantly affected since 2019.
He said he wants to play a role in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and he does not see electoral politics which are basically for administrative and governance purposes, be of any help in that.
He added since 2019 he has mainly been confined to his house. To a question, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said Hurriyat Conference represents aspirations and sentiments of people. “As long as the sentiment is strong and the desire for justice prevalent among people, those who represent it will be there in spite of the pushback and hardships they may face. Individuals come and go, organisations also get made and unmade. The underlying reason and principle should be strong and fair”, he said.
