Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday urged the Centre to “open dialogue and deliberation” with the people of Kashmir. Allowed to lead prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid after four weeks, Mirwaiz emphasised “we hope that the new government at the Centre will shift to a softer policy and we can move forward with a humane and realistic approach.” He said that the leadership of the Hurriyat Conference has always been in favour of dialogue and that “if the Centre takes one step, we will also take two.” Stating that by next week a new government at the Centre will be formed, Mirwaiz said, “as for me and Hurriyat, the option for dialogue and deliberation for moving forward is the best bet. It is the course that I and my colleagues advocate and have always practiced, even at the cost of harm to us. If lasting peace and progress of people is our aim, our approach should also reflect that.” Kashmir’s chief cleric was not allowed to lead prayers at the Jamia Masjid during elections through May. Highlighting issues faced by the young people, he said, “besides the policy of seeking verifications and clearances from Kashmiris applying for jobs, passports, or identification cards is causing great stress and distress among people, especially the youth.” He said that the people of J&K have the “first right” to jobs in their land. “We do not want violence, we do not want to see our young people in jails and graves. It is time to move forward and we have to look for solutions to our issues,” Mirwaiz said. Speaking outside the Jamia Masjid Friday, he also stated, “We do not want our youth to once again be consumed by this conflict. I hope that both the Centre and the administration here will adopt a softer approach as against the current approach of an iron fist.”
