Srinagar, Dec 26:
In a significant move that highlights the shrinking space for separatist politics in Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the valley’s chief cleric and a prominent moderate voice, has removed the designation “Chairman, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC)” from his verified social media handles.
The change, visible on his X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook profiles as of Thursday evening, leaves his bio containing only his name and location details.
Breaking his silence on the matter Friday morning, the Mirwaiz revealed that the decision was not voluntary but a result of sustained pressure from the authorities. In a post on X, he explained that he was warned his account—which has over 2.3 lakh followers—would be taken down if he did not remove the reference to the Hurriyat Conference.
“For some time now, I was being pressed by the authorities to make changes to my X handle as Hurriyat chairman, as all constituents of Hurriyat Conference, including the Awami Action Committee that I head, have been banned under the UAPA,” the Mirwaiz stated.
The Mirwaiz described the move as a “Hobson’s choice,” emphasizing that social media remains one of the few remaining avenues for him to communicate with the public and the outside world.
“At a time when public space and avenues of communication stand severely restricted, this platform remains among the very few means available to me to reach out to my people and share my views… Under such circumstances, it was a choice I was left to make,” his statement read.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), formed in 1993 as an umbrella group of various separatist parties, has seen its influence collapse since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Earlier in 2025, the Centre extended its crackdown by banning the Awami Action Committee (AAC), the political party headed by the Mirwaiz, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Most other constituent groups of the Hurriyat are already under a ban, and several top-tier leaders remain incarcerated or have withdrawn from active politics. Political analysts suggest this move marks a symbolic end to the Hurriyat’s formal online presence, as the government continues its policy of “zero tolerance” toward separatist ideologies in the region.
