Mirwaiz urges restraint, dialogue as unrest continues in PoJK

Amid ongoing unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday appealed for dialogue, constitutional fairness and protection of the rights and dignity of all sections of society. Durable peace and stability can only be achieved through dialogue, constitutional fairness and respect for the rights and dignity of every segment of society, he said.

Addressing the Friday congregation at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid, Mirwaiz said “Today, as we gather in prayer, our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters on the other side of the Line of Control. We are deeply anguished by the continuing unrest and the tragic loss of precious lives during the past month and a half. Reports indicate that dozens of people have been killed, while some accounts place the cumulative toll even higher. The truth must be established through a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation”.

The recent events across the Line of Control, particularly in Rawalakot, remind us that governments may administer territories and advance competing political positions, but it is the people of Jammu and Kashmir who remain the true stakeholders of their homeland. The governments administering the two sides of the Line of Control each claim to act in the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, yet the people themselves must remain at the centre of every decision affecting their future. We are one people, bound together by history, family, culture and our common State Subject identity.

“Whether we live in Srinagar, Muzaffarabad, Birmingham or elsewhere across the world, we remain one people. The Line of Control has divided the territory, but not our families, our shared history or our collective stake in our destiny”.

At the same time, any genuine people’s movement must itself remain inclusive. It cannot advance the rights of one section of the people while questioning or diminishing the constitutional rights of another. The voting rights and constitutional status of nearly three million Kashmiri refugees and migrants living across the provinces of Pakistan should not become a matter of political bargaining or exclusion. Their rights form an integral part of the collective rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and deserve equal respect and protection. Both sides should therefore strive to find a fair and mutually acceptable middle ground to address this important issue, Mirwaiz said.

“Our struggle has always been one for justice, dignity, human rights and the political rights of the entire people of Jammu and Kashmir across regions and ethnicities, including minorities. That struggle can only retain its moral strength if it embraces every Kashmiri without distinction, living on either side of the Line of Control or in the wider diaspora”, he added.