Kashmir’s Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Says Kashmiris Harassed Across India After Delhi Blast

Kashmir’s Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Says Kashmiris Harassed Across India After Delhi Blast
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Kashmir’s chief cleric and All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has urged authorities across India to stop what he described as “disturbing” instances of harassment targeting Kashmiris in the aftermath of the 10 November blast near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station, Maktoob Media reported.

Addressing Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid, Mirwaiz said reports were “coming in from all over India,” including Himachal Pradesh, of Kashmiri students and workers being singled out in housing colonies and questioned “simply because of their identity.” He said the situation had created fear among young Kashmiris studying or seeking employment outside the region.

Mirwaiz called on authorities to ensure that people from Jammu and Kashmir were not subjected to profiling or actions that endangered their safety, noting that “collective suspicion” was unjustified and harmful.

Mirwaiz also criticized recent raids on the Kashmir Times office in Jammu, saying press freedom had become “a target,” with dissenting voices increasingly labelled as anti-national. He described the newspaper as carrying the legacy of journalist Ved Bhasin and called the raids “extremely unfortunate.”

Referring to the Nowgam blast, which killed more than nine people, Mirwaiz described the incident as “painful and preventable,” arguing that proper handling of seized material could have averted the tragedy. He demanded that those responsible be held accountable and that the investigation be made public.

The cleric also opposed a proposal by the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Ltd. (KPDCL) to impose a 20% surcharge on electricity during peak hours, calling it unjust at a time of economic distress. He urged the government to withdraw what he termed an “anti-people” measure.

Mirwaiz has faced repeated house arrests, particularly since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, restricting his ability to lead prayers or participate in political activity. Reports of profiling and detentions of Kashmiris have increased since the Delhi blast, which killed 13 people and was labelled a terrorist incident by the Union government. The driver of the exploding vehicle was identified as Umar Nabi, a resident of Kashmir.