When there is sincere willingness to engage in the spirit of “insaniyat aur jamhooriyat”, as Vajpayee ji once said, peace gets the best chance.
Srinagar: I meet you on the first Friday of the year not in Jama Masjid, as the Mirwaiz should, but on social media.
As another year begins and we look forward to it, painful memories of 2025 stay with us.
It was a year marked by tragedy and uncertainty. The horrific Pahalgam attack shook us deeply. Unequivocally condemned by one and all in the valley, it led to a lot of anxiety among the people as they were targeted and homes demolished. This was followed by another India–Pakistan war, and a stark reminder of how fragile peace in the region continues to be.
Despite making unilateral changes in 2019, the reality is that the Kashmir conflict continues to keep the region in an unsettled state that can erupt anytime. That is why wars are paused, not ended, and dialogue finds no takers. The year-end witnessed another tragedy — the massive blast and loss of life in New Delhi.
Yet beyond these incidents, in which Kashmiris find themselves at the receiving end of suspicion and attacks in parts of India, not much has changed for them. The trust deficit between them and New Delhi has widened, not shrunk. Enforced silence is projected as acquiescence. Wounds remain open, problems unaddressed, and an elected government of a UT complains of being powerless. A sense of hopelessness prevails, along with an existential crisis of losing one’s identity through demographic change since the state was downgraded to a Union Territory, constitutional guarantees withdrawn, and rules and laws tweaked.
The year also witnessed the banning of the Awami Action Committee — a socio-political institution that reached out to people in need, advocating peace, dialogue and resolution — along with Ittihadul Muslimeen, which were part of the Hurriyat Conference. Much of that space has now been extinguished. Today we are operating in an environment where any expression of views contrary to the state, or any disagreement, is increasingly criminalised, branded as “anti-national” and penalised.
No public space is available to us, and mediums of communication, including most local media, are not ready to provide any space for voicing expressions of people’s demands or views. I do not have the privilege of addressing press conferences. I cannot move without getting official clearance, and people cannot meet me without seeking permission. My access to the pulpit of Jama Masjid — the spiritual heart of Kashmir — is also curtailed. Even last Friday, I was placed under house arrest, and again this Friday too. In fact, last year I was under house arrest for fourteen Fridays. Arbitrary house arrests have become a recurring feature in my life. All this is deeply suffocating — not only for me, but for an entire society that increasingly feels voiceless. So when pressed to make changes to my social media profile — as Hurriyat constituents are banned under UAPA, displaying the title would be considered illegal and the platforms barred to me — I was left with little choice but to safeguard the minimal channel of communication available to me or face the risk of complete silencing, as even today I am addressing you through this channel when I am again put under house arrest.
With Hurriyat constituents banned, all offices sealed and institutions closed, leaders and activists either in jails or under constant surveillance, social media remains the only platform that gives some voice and opportunity to connect with people and the outside world.
Let me make it clear, my beliefs and convictions have not changed — not even by a comma.
Some have criticised this move as a compromise. To them I say, how and for what? They make a strange argument — for being provided security. But it was provided to me since the day of my father’s martyrdom 35 years ago. If I did not compromise for it since then, why should I compromise now?
My commitments to my people are non-negotiable — rooted in principles and beliefs that stem from my convictions both as a Muslim and a responsible leader to people; consolidated firmly over more than three decades, when as a young boy of 17, under tragic circumstances of my father’s martyrdom, I ascended the pulpit of Jama Masjid to carry forward the great legacy of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) and with it its responsibilities. For over three decades, by the grace of Allah, I have tried to the best of my ability to fulfil these responsibilities and to represent the aspirations and rights of my hapless people in conflict, to stand by them in good and bad — irrespective of religion, region or affiliation — to highlight the plight of our youth and leaders languishing in jails, and the right of Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homeland. I admit I may not always have succeeded in my efforts and manner, but my intentions have always been sincere.
The role I see for myself inherited from my predecessors and from being the Mirwaiz — is to be a channel of lasting peace, brotherhood and reconciliation for my people and the region. In the past, I have engaged with leadership of the subcontinent and successive Indian leaderships — including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Shri L.K. Advani — in sincere efforts of dialogue. My path remains the same.
Is real peace possible? Yes. Kashmiris are natural optimists. Dialogue has worked elsewhere and our hope remains alive. When there is sincere willingness to engage in the spirit of “insaniyat aur jamhooriyat”, as Vajpayee ji once said, peace gets the best chance.
