Senior religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq criticized the Jammu and Kashmir administration for declaring a seminary unlawful, citing harassment of Kashmiri people. He expressed concern over properties being confiscated and students facing repercussions for protesting alleged misconduct. The cleric questioned the government’s actions and urged transparency in their policies.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s remarks followed the government’s declaration of Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom as an “unlawful entity” over alleged links with a banned group and irregularities. The seminary, located in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, was notified as unlawful under the UAPA by the Divisional Commissioner.
Umar Farooq, who leads the banned Awami Action Committee and a moderate faction of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, has been vocal about the treatment of Kashmiri institutions and individuals. The AAC, established in 1963 during the Holy Relic agitation, has a historical legacy of serving the underprivileged and fostering professionals in Kashmir.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s leadership role in the Hurriyat Conference stems from the tragic assassination of his father, Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq, in 1990. The Hurriyat Conference, a coalition advocating Kashmiri independence, has faced internal divisions, notably with the emergence of a breakaway faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani in 2014.
