Reversal in Kashmir: Hurriyat-Linked Groups Embrace Modi's Vision

Two Hurriyat-affiliated groups in Jammu and Kashmir have renounced separatism, aligning with PM Narendra Modi's vision for a unified India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed this as a decline in separatist influence, attributing it to the government's policies against terrorism in the region.

In a major shift in Jammu and Kashmir's political landscape, two groups associated with the Hurriyat Conference—J&K Tahreeqi Isteqlal and J&K Tahreek-I-Istiqamat—have abandoned separatism, choosing instead to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'new Bharat'. Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised this move, describing it as a testament to dwindling separatist influence in the region.

Amit Shah, in a post on the social media platform X, expressed optimism, noting, "Under the Modi government, separatism is breathing its last." The decision by these organizations is being celebrated as a pivotal success in the government's campaign to quell separatism and establish enduring peace in Jammu and Kashmir, a region troubled by Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism.

This development follows the earlier announcement by the J&K People's Movement and the Democratic Political Movement to cut ties with the separatist Hurriyat. Shah stressed that Prime Minister Modi's leadership has fostered policies of national unity, declaring separatism 'history' in Kashmir and encouraging other groups to renounce it.

The Home Ministry had previously banned two additional organisations—the Awami Action Committee, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen, headed by Masroor Abbas Ansari—due to alleged anti-national activities, as part of a broader approach against terrorism. Shah highlighted this during a Rajya Sabha session, criticizing past administrations for failing to adopt stringent measures against terrorism, unlike the zero-tolerance stance taken by the current government under Modi since 2019.

(With inputs from agencies.)