MHA decision to ban my party harsh, should be revoked: Mirwaiz

Chief cleric of Kashmir Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
| Photo Credit: IMRAN NISSAR

Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while addressing a Friday (March 21, 2025) congregation in Srinagar for the first time since his party was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said the Centre’s move “was harsh and uncalled for and should be revoked”.

Referring to the recent ban order of the MHA on the Awami Action Committee (AAC), the Mirwaiz said, “Those who suffered personal tragedies yet practised patience and advocated peace even in most trying times, are accused of disrupting law and order and creating unrest. These allegations are unfounded in the face of facts and the party’s glorious history”.

The Mirwaiz said his father Moulvi Farooq, assassinated by gunmen in 1990, took the initiative to bury the hatchet and reach out to arch rivals of decades in 1983. “He (Mr. Farooq) was opposed to all forms of violence. Something that Kashmir has witnessed in the last 35 years. And that is the reason why despite the risk, he strongly advocated to the V.P. Singh government to talk to the young men in Kashmir who had taken up arms and resolve the issue right then,” the Mirwaiz said.

Referring to the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of former Union Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in 1989, the Mirwaiz said his father showed the moral courage of conviction and openly condemned the abduction. “I want to ask those who have banned AAC, is the organisation founded by a man of such principles a threat to law and order?” the Mirwaiz asked. 

The Mirwaiz said after he took over the reins of the AAC at the age of 16 he has always “advocated the politics of outreach, dialogue and resolution”. 

“How can those that advocate dialogue be subversive or anti? Dialogue in itself means seeking solutions and resolving disagreements by talking in good faith and peace. When Vajpayeeji or Advaniji or Manmohan Singhji were talking to us, it was in good faith. Despite the tragic loss of Abdul Ghani Lone sahab, my uncle Molvi Mushtaq sahib’s killing, the burning down of Islamia High School and grenade attacks at my house, we kept up the good faith and till date, despite all odds, advocate peaceful engagement,” the Mirwaiz said.

Stating that the present ruling dispensation in New Delhi has a different take on dialogue, the Mirwaiz said the AAC activists and volunteers “are also a strong support system in their localities, involved in help and relief work for the poor and needy and during emergencies such as accidents, fires or floods proving aid and assistance”.

“During the 2014 floods, hundreds of its volunteers rescued thousands of people, volunteered in reconstruction of homes for the displaced,” the cleric added. “So, the decision to ban AAC is harsh and uncalled for and should be revoked,” he added.