Mirwaiz Drops Hurriyat Chairman Title From X, Cites Risk of Account Removal

Srinagar: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday removed the designation of Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference from his verified X profile.

The edited bio on the Mirwaiz’s X handle now carries only his name and basic location details. He has more than two lakh followers on the platform.

The Awami Action Committee, headed by the Mirwaiz, has been banned by the Centre under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Following the ban, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference effectively stands proscribed, as all its constituents have been barred under the law.

Formed in 1993, the Hurriyat Conference was an umbrella of separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir and for years played a key role in political mobilisation in the Valley. Its influence has declined over the past decade amid internal divisions and sustained action by the Centre, especially after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Explaining the move later, the Mirwaiz said he had been under pressure from authorities for some time to change his X handle description in his capacity as Hurriyat chairman, citing the ban under the UAPA.

In a post on X, he said he was told that his account would be taken down if he did not comply. He added that with public space and avenues of communication severely restricted, the platform remained one of the few means available to him to convey his views to people and to the outside world, calling the decision a forced choice under the circumstances. (with inputs from news agency PTI)