Seeking a win-win-win solution: An interview with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

When Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq, chief cleric of Kashmir, was assassinated in 1990 by unidentified gunmen, his 14-year-old son Umar was anointed his successor. Later, as a college student in Srinagar, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq became the chairman of the largest coalition of secessionist parties, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). Following hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani's split from the APHC in 2003, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been heading the moderate faction of the Hurriyat. Riyaz Masroor interviewed the Mirwaiz, who is also currently working on a PhD thesis on Sufism.

Islamabad and your faction of the Hurriyat Conference seem quite optimistic about a Kashmir solution.

We have enough reasons to be optimistic. The Line of Control is locally known as Khooni Lakeer [Bleeding Line]. India and Pakistan have fought battles over it, and many thousand Kashmiris have died in crossfire and while fighting for freedom. Now, the Indian and Pakistani armies have been honouring a ceasefire on this line for nearly four years. Not only this, but a bus service has also been launched. There are meeting points on the LoC. We don't say we have achieved everything, but these confidence-building measures [CBMs] have reinforced the perception that a purely political problem cannot have military solutions. We do have apprehensions about the slow pace of the peace process and the lack of impact on the ground of these CBMs, yet we do hope that India and Pakistan would respond to the aspirations of the people of J & K in such a manner as would appear a victory for everyone. There is much talk of a win-win solution. I daresay it's not only win-win, but win-win-win: for all the three players, India, Pakistan and Kashmir.