NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister and Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah has extended a welcome to two more J&K-based Hurriyat groups — the Jammu and Kashmir Tahreeqi Isteqlal and Jammu and Kashmir Tahreek-I-Istiqamat — for abandoning separatism and reposing their faith in the new Bharat built by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shah said under the Modi government, separatism is breathing its last and the triumph of unity is echoing across Kashmir.
“Another great news from Kashmir Valley. Two more groups affiliated with the Hurriyat, namely J&K Tahreeqi Isteqlal and J&K Tahreek-I-Istiqamat, have discarded separatism and reposed their trust in the new Bharat built by PM Shri @narendramodi Ji,” Shah wrote on X. The development comes a couple of days after similar announcements made by two other affiliates of the separatists’ conglomerate.
On Tuesday, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement (JKPM) and the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Political Movement (JKDPM) announced the severing of all ties with separatism.
In a statement, J&K Tehreeqi Isteqlal chairman Gulam Nabi Sofi said he and his organisation disassociated from the All Parties Hurriyat Conference or any other group with the relevant ideology.
“We continued our struggle despite all odds but neither All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) (G) nor APHC (M) has been able to meet the expectations of the common masses. They failed at every step to represent the people’s aspirations and sentiments. I have long ago severed my ties with separatist ideology and today I officially denounce it,” he said.
Sofi also said he is a true and committed citizen of India and believes in the Indian Constitution. Meanwhile, J&K Tehreek-I-Istiqaamat chairman Ghulam Nabi War too said he and his party are no longer associated with the APHC (G) or (M) or any other ideology that works against the interests of India.
War said the Hurriyat had lost ground and was unable to meet the expectations of the people of J&K. “They failed at every step to represent the people’s aspirations and sentiments. I have long ago severed my ties with separatist ideology and today, I officially sever my connections from it,” he said.
For years, the Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of separatist forces, called for J&K’s secession. External forces provided support to these forces, which resulted in years of unrest and instability. But in recent years, the Modi administration has taken strong measures to eradicate networks of separatism, especially after Article 370 was scrapped in August 2019.