Ever since withdrawal of Kashmir’s special constitutional position in August 2019, centre has strictly denied separatist politics a space and a role in Jammu and Kashmir. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the head of one faction of the Hurriyat Conference, was too sidelined in the shifting political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir. He has been under a prolonged house arrest, often kept away from delivering his Friday sermons at the Grand Mosque and denied freedom to freely meet people. Yet now, with a series of high-profile meetings in Delhi, murmurs of Centre-Hurriyat dialogue, and his involvement in an interfaith committee for Kashmiri Pandit rehabilitation, Mirwaiz finds himself back in the news. What does this mean for Kashmir, for New Delhi, and for Mirwaiz himself? There are no clear answers to these questions. Mirwaiz’s meeting with BJP MP Jagdambika Pal over the Waqf Bill, his interactions with Kashmiri Pandit representatives, and his heading the interfaith committee do not necessarily signal a shift. Considering Mirwaiz’s role has traditionally straddled politics and religion, the recent activities can easily fall within the scope of his religious responsibilities.

Over five years after the withdrawal of Article 370, Kashmir has changed beyond recognition. Once vaunted separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference has become extinct. Many of the grouping’s top leaders continue to be........

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