Mehbooba Mufti Meets Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Rare Valley Convergence

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti called on Hurriyat leader and Valley chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at his residence in Srinagar on Sunday, in a meeting that marks a rare convergence between mainstream and separatist political figures in the region.

Mirwaiz confirmed the interaction, describing it as a constructive exchange. He said the two leaders discussed the social, cultural and societal concerns and challenges facing the region, and the need to address them collectively with all stakeholders involved. They also held a detailed discussion on the prevailing political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to PDP sources, Mufti drove to Mirwaiz's residence at Nageen in Srinagar on Sunday afternoon. The visit is part of a planned series of meetings she has been holding with prominent religious leaders. A senior party leader said the interactions are a follow-up to her outreach to Kashmir's youth, scholars, women, artists, and social and political activists, and that Mirwaiz was briefed on the social issues currently confronting the Valley.

The meeting comes days after the two leaders found common ground in opposing a proposed Tantra event in Gurez, near the Line of Control. Mirwaiz had responded to Mufti's call for intervention, demanding an immediate ban on the programme and pointing out that a similar event by the same organisation had been cancelled by police in Goa following public outrage over its promotional content.

Over recent months, Mirwaiz, who delivers Friday sermons at Srinagar's grand mosque, has regularly flagged social concerns, including drug abuse. A fortnight ago, the Muttahida Majlis Ulama, an amalgam of Muslim religious bodies across the spectrum, decided to widen its conversations beyond matters of faith, with Valley mosques set to take up community issues such as drug addiction, suicide, self-harm and environmental degradation.

The significance of Sunday's meeting lies in its timing and participants. It was during Mufti's tenure in 2016 that Mirwaiz was arrested and shifted to the Cheshma Shahi huts, which were designated as a sub-jail. The encounter also comes four months after Mirwaiz shared a stage with mainstream political leaders at a book launch in Srinagar, an event attended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, BJP leader Ashok Koul, Congress leader Saif-ud-din Soz, Assembly speaker Abdul Rahim Rather and PDP leader Naeem Akhtar.

While the meeting is notable, it is not the first time a mainstream political figure has visited Mirwaiz. In September 2023, senior BJP leader and Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi met him at his home to discuss the fallout of her controversial plan to build a cancer hospital at Srinagar's Eidgah grounds.