Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Removes Hurriyat Chairman Tag from X Profile, Calls It a 'Hobson’s Choice' Amid UAPA Ban on Hurriyat Constituents

New Delhi: Kashmir's chief cleric and prominent separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has removed the designation "Chairman, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC)" from his verified X (formerly Twitter) profile, citing sustained pressure from Jammu and Kashmir authorities.

In a post on X on Friday, Mirwaiz described the decision as a “Hobson's choice,” stating he had been "pressed by the authorities for some time now" to alter his bio, which previously identified him as the head of the APHC.  

"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, making Hurriyat a banned organisation," Mirwaiz posted. 

He emphasised that the platform remains one of the few avenues left for him to communicate with the public amid restricted public spaces in the region.

Mirwaiz, who has over two lakh followers on X, argued that “all constituents of Hurriyat conference are banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), making Hurriyat a banned organisation, failing which they will take down my handle,” Mirwaiz posted.

People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para came out in strong support of Mirwaiz, describing the removal of the tag as an “act of peace” and an example of wisdom over rigidity.

In a post on X, Para drew a historical parallel to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) agreed to certain concessions for peace.

“If Mirwaiz Kashmir has removed the APHC tag as an act of peace, it must never be weaponized against him. Choosing peace over rigidity is not weakness; it is leadership,” Parra wrote on X.

He added that Mirwaiz had acted within the framework of law and prevailing circumstances, and criticised those trolling or attacking the cleric online, saying such actions only deepen division and undermine efforts toward peace.

Pertinently,  All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), often referred to as Hurriyat, was formed on March 9, 1993, as an umbrella alliance of 26  separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir. It emerged in the aftermath of heightened terrorism in the early 1990s, serving as a separatist platform to advocate for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, including demands for self-determination as per UN resolutions.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, then a young cleric, was elected as its first chairman following the assassination of his father, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, in 1990.  APHC was widely viewed as a channel for dialogue between Kashmiri separatists and the Indian government during the armed insurgency era. At its peak, it wielded significant influence, coordinating protests, shutdowns, and political mobilisation.

The alliance split in September 2003 over ideological differences, primarily on approaches to dialogue with New Delhi. The hardline faction was led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani (who passed away in 2021, while Mirwaiz headed the moderate faction, which engaged in talks with both Congress-led UPA and BJP-led NDA governments.

However, following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) intensified action against separatist outfits. APHC itself was not directly banned as an entity, but its key constituents were declared unlawful associations under the UAPA for alleged anti-national activities, support for terrorism and secessionist propaganda.

Ban's include:

• Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir (2019, extended in 2024)
• Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (founded by Geelani, banned in December 2023)
• Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) (2023)
• Both factions of Muslim Conference Jammu and Kashmir (February 2024)
• Awami Action Committee (led by Mirwaiz, banned in March 2025 for five years)
• Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (March 2025 for five years)

“These actions rendered the APHC effectively defunct, with many leaders arrested or withdrawing from public life.  MHA has stated that such organisations posed threats to India's sovereignty and integrity,” said a political observer here.

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