Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq removes 'Hurriyat chairman' designation from X profile

Srinagar: Separatist leader and Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Wednesday evening removed the designation “Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference” from his verified X (formerly Twitter) profile, a move that comes against the backdrop of the steady decline of the separatist umbrella organisation in Kashmir.

The change was noticed shortly after it appeared on his account, which until recently identified him as the chairman APHC. The updated bio now carries only his name, handle, location and other basic details.

Mirwaiz, who has nearly 2 lakh 32 thousand followers on X, has not issued any statement explaining the removal, and there was no immediate reaction from the Hurriyat or the authorities till the filing of this report.

Founded in 1993, the APHC emerged as a coalition of political, religious and social organisations advocating Kashmir’s right to self-determination. From early 1990s to late 2010’s, it became the principal separatist platform in the Valley, exercising considerable street influence and serving as a political voice during prolonged periods of unrest.

The Hurriyat leadership played a key role in shutdown calls, mass mobilisations and articulating separatist positions during that phase.

Over time, however, the Hurriyat fractured into rival factions and suffered from internal divisions, leadership disputes and declining mass participation. Its influence weakened further after 2014 as New Delhi hardened its approach towards separatist groups.

The decline accelerated sharply after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Most of the APHC’s constituent organisations have been banned by the Centre in recent years, while several senior leaders have been arrested, booked under stringent laws or withdrawn from public political activity.

The Hurriyat has not held any visible political programmes or issued joint calls for years, rendering the once-dominant conglomerate largely inactive on the ground.

Mirwaiz took over as Hurriyat chairman in 1993 at the age of 20. This was only little over three years after the assassination of his father, Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq.

Mirwaiz, has in recent years, maintained a limited public presence, focusing largely on religious sermons and statements on civil liberties and humanitarian issues.

As the change occurred only on Wednesday evening, no political or official reactions had emerged so far, and it remained too early to draw conclusions from the development.