Calls for people-led politics and rights restoration
Srinagar, April 19: In a candid and wide-ranging conversation on X-Spaces, former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu has made a direct appeal to influential Kashmiri leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, urging them to reconsider their longstanding decision to remain outside mainstream politics.
Mattu emphasized the need for a decisive political reset in Jammu and Kashmir, one that is driven by the will of the people rather than the interests of political dynasties and entrenched elites.
“I hope leaders like Mirwaiz reconsider their stance of staying away from mainstream politics,” Mattu remarked during the discussion, framing the participation of such figures as essential to any meaningful and inclusive political process in the region.
Throughout the conversation, Mattu underscored several pressing issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir today — from the imperative to restore the region’s political rights to the need for firm stands on rights-based concerns like reservations and the Waqf Bill.
He argued that genuine change in Kashmir demands not only public participation but also political courage, clarity of purpose, and what he described as “clean intent.”
The former mayor did not shy away from criticizing Kashmir’s entrenched political order. He rejected dynastic politics, questioned the conspicuous silence of several opposition parties, and called upon Kashmir’s youth to step into leadership roles, placing the dignity and rights of the people above the pursuit of personal power and political position.
