Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 26: Decision of the separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to move the designation “Chairman, All Parties Hurriyat Conference” from his social media profile has raised many eyebrows.
This move has triggered speculation and discussion not in the mainstream politics but also in the separatists circles of Kashmir Valley.
The change was noticed on Thursday evening, when Mirwaiz’s profile—followed by over 200,000 users—was updated to display only his name along with general location details.
The reference to his long-held position as chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was conspicuously absent, marking a significant departure from his earlier public identification.
Mirwaiz, who heads the Awami Action Committee (AAC), has remained under close scrutiny in recent years. The AAC was banned by the central government under stringent anti-terror laws, citing its alleged involvement in activities considered prejudicial to national security and public order.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, established in 1993, functioned for decades as an umbrella platform for several separatist and religious-political groups in Jammu and Kashmir. At its peak, the APH Mirwaiz's decision to drop chairman title from his public profile is an indication about him distancing from separatism in Kashmir.
However, the influence of the Hurriyat Conference has witnessed a steady decline over the past decade, largely due to internal factionalism and sustained action by the central government against separatist networks.
The process accelerated following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, after which several constituent organisations of the APHC were proscribed, key leaders were detained, and many others withdrew from active public life.
While Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has traditionally been seen as a prominent face of the Hurriyat Conference, his recent decision to drop the chairman designation from his public profile has fuelled speculation about a possible distancing from the organisation or a recalibration of his political stance.
However, in the absence of an official statement, the implications of the move remain open to interpretation. Political observers note that symbolic gestures on social media by influential figures in Kashmir often carry wider political significance, particularly at a time when separatist politics in the Valley remain largely subdued. | 