In a telling sign of the diminishing clout of separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir, Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has quietly removed his “All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman” designation from his verified X (formerly Twitter) profile, marking the first such change since the outfit’s ban in 2019.
The move, revealed through social media on Thursday evening, comes under mounting pressure from Jammu and Kashmir Police, who have intensified actions against terror sympathizers and secessionists. In an X post on Friday morning, Mirwaiz confirmed the authorities had pressed him to alter his bio, citing the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) bans on all Hurriyat factions, including his Awami Action Committee (AAC). “Failing which, they threatened to take down my handle,” he wrote, calling it a “Hobson’s choice” to preserve his key communication channel with the public.
Under Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat’s leadership, the J&K Police has revived decades-old cases, arresting former terror commanders like Shakil Bakshi and Javed Mir, while attaching properties of known sympathizers such as ex-Bar Association president Mian Qayoom and US-based ISI agent Ghulam Nabi Fai. Speaking exclusively to News24, DGP Prabhat affirmed: “We are dismantling the terrorist ecosystem entirely. Whether in J&K or abroad, we will not spare anyone harbouring terrorists or secessionist activities.” He highlighted collaborations with sister agencies toward a terror-free J-K, with visible improvements across the Valley and Jammu.
The year 2025 has been remarkably calm, recording just two terror incidents—the Pahalgam attack and one on a former TA jawan in Anantnag—with only one active local terrorist left in the Valley. Formed in 1993 as an umbrella for groups pushing Kashmir’s independence or accession to Pakistan, the Hurriyat was outlawed in 2019 for terror links, leading to arrests and enforced compliance among leaders. Mirwaiz, under house detention much of the post-2019 period, has occasionally urged dialogue, but this public step underscores enforcement pressures.
Security experts hail it as a win for mainstreaming in the Union Territory, signaling separatists’ waning influence once dominant in Kashmir’s politics.
Meanwhile National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, terming Mirwaiz Umar Farooq a religious, social, and political scholar, said that the pressure on him is not justified. He added that the way Mirwaiz has spoken about the pressure he is facing from authorities should be viewed leniently.
