Srinagar, Jun 26 (KNO): Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now among the longest-serving leaders in independent India, to revive the spirit of engagement in South Asia, asserting that dialogue remains the only reliable path to lasting peace in the region.
Addressing the Friday congregation at Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid on Youm-e-Ashoora, Mirwaiz, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said when PM Modi assumed office, he spoke of regional cooperation and demonstrated an interest in improving relations with neighbouring countries, gestures that had generated hope across South Asia.
“It is our hope that the spirit of engagement that informed PM Modi earlier, and the efforts under leaders such as former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh, once again finds expression,” he said.
Mirwaiz said he had the opportunity, along with his colleagues, to engage with leaders across political dispensations, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. While differences remained, those engagements reflected an important principle: dialogue itself has value as it reduces mistrust, humanises opposing perspectives and creates possibilities that otherwise remain closed, he said.
Referring to recent global developments, Mirwaiz said the recent conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel once again demonstrated that military force, however overwhelming, has its limits. “Wars may alter circumstances and inflict immense suffering, but durable peace ultimately requires dialogue, negotiation and statesmanship,” he said.
He said that even after months of confrontation, enormous expenditure of resources and immense human suffering, adversaries eventually returned to the negotiating table, proving that disputes cannot be resolved through force alone. He appreciated the efforts of regional and international actors, including Pakistan and Qatar, in helping create conditions conducive to dialogue.
Turning to South Asia, Mirwaiz said India and Pakistan, home to nearly one-fourth of humanity, bear a special responsibility for ensuring regional peace. Despite enormous civilisational wealth, extraordinary human resources and immense economic potential, decades of mistrust and unresolved political issues have prevented the region from fully realising these possibilities, while ordinary people continue to suffer economically, emotionally and psychologically.
Recalling his own journey, Mirwaiz said that following the assassination of his father, Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq, in 1990, he inherited not only the position of Mirwaiz but also the responsibility to uphold his father's commitment to justice and dialogue.
"Shaheed Mirwaiz consistently advocated engagement between India and Pakistan and believed that the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the wider region would be best served through peace, mutual respect and meaningful dialogue," he said.
Mirwaiz said that through the Awami Action Committee and later the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), he has consistently upheld these principles for more than 36 years despite facing immense odds and pushback. Sustainable peace, he said, cannot emerge from wars or violence but requires engagement, understanding and the courage to listen even to those with whom one disagrees.
“Peace may be difficult. Dialogue may be slow. Diplomacy may demand patience. Yet these remain the most reliable instruments for resolving issues and securing a better future,” Mirwaiz said.
Meanwhile, Mirwaiz said the tragedy of Karbala was not merely a chapter of history but an eternal lesson in truth, patience, justice and sacrifice. He said Imam Hussain (RA) did not seek war or confrontation but stood firmly for truth, adherence to Islamic principles and sincere dialogue.
“When oppression and violence were chosen instead, history recorded the failure of those who relied on force, while Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions became everlasting symbols of courage, sacrifice and steadfastness,” he said.
Mirwaiz said the message of Karbala remains relevant in every age and every conflict. "Whenever arrogance replaces reason, force replaces understanding and communication is abandoned in favour of confrontation, societies suffer. Truth, patience and dialogue, however, leave behind a legacy that history honours," he said—(KNO)