Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 26: Moderate separatist leader and the head Muslim cleric of Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has removed the designation “chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference” (APHC) from his verified X profile, a move he described as “Hobson’s choice”.
The digital update, noticed on Thursday evening, is seen by observers as an effective blow to the 33-year-old APHC, a conglomerate of separatist groups, formed in 1993 to highlight the so-called right for self-determination for people of Kashmir.
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The Mirwaiz’s bio now lists only his name, location, and basic details.
He chose to clarify the change in his X handle, which has a following of over 2,32,000 users, saying that the decision was made under significant pressure.
He explained that “authorities” cited the ban on the Awami Action Committee (which he heads) and other APHC constituents as grounds to remove the title or lose the account entirely.
“At a time when public space and avenues of communication stand severely restricted, this platform remains among the very few means available to me to reach out to my people… Under such circumstances, it is a Hobson’s choice I was left to make,” the Mirwaiz posted the clarification on X.
“Hobson’s choice” means an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative.
Founded in 1993, the APHC was once the Valley’s primary separatist conglomerate, which mainly indulged in coordinating mass shutdowns and political mobilisations. However, its influence has steadily eroded over the last decade due to internal differences, followed by a legal crackdown post-2019.
Most of the constituent groups are now banned under anti-terror laws, rendering the conglomerate largely inactive. (PTI)
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