Says force & war can’t resolve issues; calls for meaningful engagement
Srinagar, (DD)In a significant address during Friday prayers at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq welcomed the united and emotionally charged interventions of Jammu and Kashmir’s three Members of Parliament—Mian Altaf, Engineer Rashid, and Agha Ruhullah—during a recent debate in Parliament on the India–Pakistan conflict and its wider implications for the region.
Reflecting on the parliamentary discussion held after the Pahalgam terror incident, Mirwaiz said that while most national leaders debated the war’s purpose, success, or political ramifications, very few touched upon the human cost of conflict or its direct impact on the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Only a handful, mostly in the opposition, spoke of the war’s human toll. And it was only our three MPs who gave voice to the suffering and concerns of the people of J&K—speaking not just with facts, but with pain and sincerity,” Mirwaiz said.
He lauded the MPs for expressing the region’s long-standing grievances around disempowerment and dispossession, adding that it was heartening to see them “on the same page” in articulating the true sentiments of the Kashmiri people.
Mirwaiz urged New Delhi to listen carefully to these voices if it is sincere about bridging the long-standing emotional and political divide—what he called the “dil ki doori.”
“If the goal is unity and trust, then the government must respond not with silence or force, but with understanding and meaningful engagement,” he said.
Reiterating his belief in peaceful resolution, Mirwaiz emphasized that neither war nor force has ever solved problems, especially in a region as sensitive and complex as South Asia.
“The billions living in the subcontinent seek peace, and the poor across the region deserve it. Engagement—political, social, and cultural—is a far more dignified and effective alternative to conflict,” he stated.
His remarks come amid heightened regional tension and renewed calls for people-centric policies and dialogue-based resolution mechanisms in Jammu and Kashmir(DD)