Srinagar, July 06 (KNO): Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq on Monday said that Kashmir’s history did not begin in 2019 and cannot be viewed selectively, asserting that the region’s 5,000-year civilisational legacy belongs to all its people.
Addressing the media after inaugurating an educational consultancy initiative at Lal Chowk, Mirwaiz, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the annual Amarnath Yatra has been taking place in Kashmir for decades and has always received the support and goodwill of the people of Kashmir.
“This is a religious pilgrimage of our Hindu brethren. The people of Kashmir have always supported it, continue to support it and will do so in the future. We pray that every pilgrim completes the Yatra safely and peacefully,” he said.
He said the administration must ensure adequate facilities and security for the pilgrims while ensuring that the daily lives of local residents are not unnecessarily disrupted.
Commenting on the recent dismissal and suspension of several government employees, Mirwaiz termed the action unfortunate and said such decisions should be taken with fairness, transparency and due process.
Responding to questions regarding the government’s ban on books and the broader debate over Kashmir’s history, Mirwaiz said Kashmir possesses a rich 5,000-year-old civilisational heritage that cannot be selectively interpreted.
“Kashmir’s history did not begin in 2019. It spans thousands of years. We are proud of every chapter of that history, from Buddhism and Shaivism to Hindu traditions, followed by the Islamic period, which profoundly shaped Kashmir’s spiritual, cultural and social identity,” he said.
He said history cannot be erased or rewritten to suit any particular political narrative. “You cannot selectively project only that part of history which suits a particular narrative. Facts remain facts.”
Mirwaiz said literature contains diverse viewpoints and banning books weakens democratic values. Referring to what he described as the growing tendency to brand everything as “jihad,” including “love jihad,” “land jihad” and now “academic jihad,” he said such trends politicise every issue. He also claimed that around 150 books by Kashmiri, Indian and foreign authors had reportedly been banned.
“Societies evolve through discussion and engagement, not by suppressing books or silencing perspectives,” he said.
Mirwaiz said just as Kashmiris warmly welcome Hindu pilgrims during the Amarnath Yatra, there should be no unnecessary restrictions on Muslim religious institutions or the religious practices of any community. He said equal respect for every faith is the cornerstone of democracy and religious freedom.
On India-Pakistan relations, Mirwaiz welcomed recent peace initiatives by civil society members from India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir and said the changing global order had once again demonstrated that wars cannot produce lasting solutions.
He said the spirit of engagement witnessed during the tenures of former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh should be revived.
Stressing that dialogue remains the only way forward, Mirwaiz said meaningful and sustained engagement is essential not only between Delhi and Islamabad, but equally between Delhi and Srinagar, to secure lasting peace, dignity, reconciliation and a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue—(KNO)