Srinagar's chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, used his Friday sermon on June 26, 2026, at the historic Jama Masjid to directly appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Acknowledging Modi's recent milestone as one of the longest-serving leaders in independent India, the Mirwaiz argued that dialogue and diplomacy remain the most dependable tools for resolving disputes.
Mirwaiz recalled the initial optimism surrounding Modi's tenure. When the Prime Minister took office in 2014, he spoke of regional cooperation and showed interest in mending ties with neighbours, generating hope across South Asia. With signs of fresh diplomatic efforts between India and Pakistan emerging, the cleric expressed a desire for that earlier spirit of engagement to resurface.
He drew comparisons to the approaches of former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh. Both leaders, he noted, pursued dialogue even amid significant differences. "Those engagements reflected an important principle: dialogue itself has value," Mirwaiz said. "It reduces mistrust, humanises opposing perspectives and creates possibilities that otherwise remain closed."
The Mirwaiz also referenced the Hurriyat Conference's past talks with Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, and Singh. While acknowledging that differences persisted, he stressed that the process of talking was valuable in itself. He cautioned that peace is difficult but requires patience, with dialogue and diplomacy being the most reliable instruments for a better future.
Drawing a lesson from the recent US-Israel confrontation with Iran, Mirwaiz noted the limits of military force. Wars cause immense suffering, he argued, but lasting peace requires negotiation and statesmanship. He praised Pakistan and Qatar for creating conditions that allowed adversaries to return to the negotiating table, calling it a sign of maturity, not weakness.
He concluded by applying this lesson to South Asia, home to nearly a quarter of humanity. Decades of political tension and unresolved issues, he said, have prevented the region from realising its full economic and human potential. His father, Shaheed Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq, assassinated in 1990, was a lifelong advocate of justice and dialogue over confrontation.
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📰 Source: The Hindu National