Pak on lookout for new voice to lead Hurriyat
NEW DELHI: Pakistan is looking hard to find a new separatist voice to lead the Hurriyat Conference, multiple government and security officials familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. The separatist body, first formed in 1993, has played an important part in Kashmir but has been largely defunct since the state’s special status was changed last year on August 5.
“The deep state in Pakistan is looking for younger leaders and has been trying to persuade those who have been a part of militant organizations, including the more battle-hardened groups like the Lashkar-e-tayyiba,’’ a home ministry official said.
There has been no direction from the Hurriyat leaders to the general masses -- diktats were common before that -- in the past year. In a surprise move, 91-yearold SAS Geelani who was the separatist group’s “chairman for life” resigned from the faction of the Hurriyat he headed.
“Pakistan is looking for fresh faces to take charge and channelize the anger and resentment over the government’s decision to strip the state of its special status, once guaranteed under Article 370,” said another official. On August 5 last year, the Rajya Sabha passed laws and resolutions effectively abrogating Article 370 and splitting Jammu &
Kashmir into two Union territories. The Lok Sabha passed these the following day.
In March this year, the government enacted an executive order where it expanded the definition of domicile to include non-locals who have been living in Jammu & Kashmir for 15 years and the children of Central government employees who have worked in the region for 10 years.