Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Condemns His Continued House Arrest

On December 13, Mirwaiz of Kashmir, Umar Farooq, decried his continued house arrest, which barred him from delivering the Friday sermon at Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid for the second consecutive week in December.

The move, he stated, reflects the Indian authorities’ discomfort with his public advocacy and commitment to raising the concerns of the Kashmiri people.

In a strongly worded statement, Mirwaiz remarked, “As I raise people’s issues and concerns from the pulpit as is my duty, it seems to make the authorities jittery and uncomfortable. So, lock him up! As if by locking me up, issues will disappear, and reality will be altered.”

He further criticized what he termed an “authoritarian mindset” driving these actions, emphasizing that silencing voices of dissent will not change the ground realities in Kashmir.

Mirwaiz was likely punished for raising the plight of thousands of political detainees languishing in prisons, whom he described as “victims of this mindset.” He condemned their continued imprisonment as an extension of the oppressive policies aimed at crushing Kashmiri aspirations for justice and self-determination.