Mirwaiz Umar Farooq seeks restoration of Jammu and Kashmir statehood and Article 370

Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq urged political parties to work for restoring Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and Article 370, calling it their moral responsibility. He also raised ecological concerns, criticised rising power tariffs and condemned alleged threats to Kashmiri Pandits

Srinagar: Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Saturday asserted that political parties in Jammu and Kashmir should work towards the restoration of statehood and Article 370, saying it was their moral responsibility to raise their voice for the rights of the people.

“Our rights were snatched away by force. Our statehood was abolished and we were made a Union Territory. The government should uphold the promises made to the people prior to the elections,” Farooq told reporters here.

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The preacher also termed the alleged threats to Kashmiri Pandits residing in the Valley “deeply unfortunate”.

“We have consistently reiterated that Kashmiri Pandits are an integral part of our society, history, culture and our future. They are not outsiders; they belong here. We have always advocated for their return and will continue our efforts, as should the government,” he asserted.

Lashing out at the NC-led government, the Mirwaiz accused it of losing sight of its priorities. The government had been unable to instil confidence among the people regarding their “snatched” rights, the splitting of Jammu and Kashmir and the “complete disregard” for constitutional commitments, he added.

He said the Centre had essentially revoked all the promises made to Jammu and Kashmir since 1947.

“They revoked all constitutional guarantees. So, it is the moral responsibility of mainstream political parties to stand up for these issues. They must raise their voice for the restoration of the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and present a unified voice in this regard,” he added.

On Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi’s decision to quit the Lok Sabha and the National Conference (NC), the Mirwaiz hailed the parliamentarian as a staunch voice committed to raising people’s issues and urged all organisations and parties in Jammu and Kashmir to follow suit.

“They must stand by these constitutional guarantees, the commitments they made to the people, their manifesto and their election plank,” he said.

He also criticised the government over the hike in electricity tariffs.

“The government must recognise that Jammu and Kashmir’s economy is already going through a very fragile phase. Common, low-income citizens are in no position to endure escalating power tariffs. The administration should have deferred this increase,” he said.

The Mirwaiz expressed solidarity with the victims of the Nepal tragedy and their families, asserting that the flash flood disaster should serve as a warning for Jammu and Kashmir.

“We also reside in this Himalayan region. Over the past couple of years, we have seen changing weather patterns and climatic shifts driven by global warming. God has blessed Kashmir with immense natural beauty. Protecting this is our foremost responsibility,” he said.

He said that while people wanted development, tourism and infrastructure, “it cannot come at the cost of our ecology and environment”.

Farooq said human interference with the ecosystem was largely responsible for weather vagaries and natural disasters.

“While we will hold the administration accountable, we must also introspect.

“Unplanned and unregulated construction continues unchecked across tourist destinations and fragile hilly terrains such as Pahalgam. If this persists, we are heading towards an ecological disaster. Authorities and policy experts must formulate a well-structured roadmap to safeguard this Himalayan belt,” he said.