Two additional paramilitary groups from the Jammu and Kashmir region have left the separatist Hurriyat Conference.
In a significant development, separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir are losing support from constituent parties, with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) being the most affected. This shift is mainly due to the APHC's decreasing relevance and failure to deliver progress or political gains for Kashmiris.
Syed Salim Gilani, a former functionary of the Hurriyat Conference, recently joined mainstream politics by joining the Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the J&K Assembly elections. Gilani, who headed the J&K National Party, a constituent of the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat Conference faction, stated that while Kashmiris want a solution to the Kashmir issue, they also want employment and solutions to their day-to-day problems.
Ghulam Nabi Sofi, chief of Jammu and Kashmir Tehreek-i-Istiqlal, has formally disassociated from the APHC and denounced the separatist ideology. Sofi has pledged his commitment to the Indian Constitution and criticised the APHC for failing to live up to the expectations of the common masses in Jammu and Kashmir. Muhammad Sharief Sartaj, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Movement (JKFM), has also dissociated from the APHC and other separatist groups, stating that the APHC has failed to address the aspirations and grievances of the people of J&K.
Bilal Lone, a former separatist leader who has shifted to mainstream politics, has noted that the APHC has "faltered" and become "non-functional," losing its relevance over time. Lone has criticised Pakistan's role, stating that while Pakistan made statements supporting Kashmir, it did not take concrete actions, which has contributed to the decline in separatist momentum.
The abrogation of Article 370 and the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019 have intensified Indian military operations and altered regional dynamics, making separatist platforms less effective or visible. This has marginalised separatists like the APHC even more. Furthermore, there is a lack of unity among regional political parties in Kashmir, with parties like the National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) focused more on their own agendas, further weakening separatist fronts' political leverage.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed the breaking off ties with the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) by two political outfits - Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Movement (JKDM) and Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement - as a "victory" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "vision". Amit Shah also urged all such groups to "come forward and shed separatism once and for all" and asserted that it was a big victory for Modi's vision of building a developed, peaceful, and unified Bharat.
Sartaj, based in Jammu, has pledged to dedicate himself to upholding the national integrity and strongly opposed the ideology of the APHC. Sartaj has announced the disbandment of the JKFM and stated that it has failed to address the aspirations and grievances of the people of J&K.
In summary, constituent parties are withdrawing from the APHC because it has become largely ineffective, disconnected from the current political realities, and unable to offer a viable path forward for Kashmiris, leading to their loss of support and relevance. The new generation of Kashmiris, according to Lone, need to move beyond separatist ideology and engage with India constructively rather than through political parties or separatist groups.
- Syed Salim Gilani's shift to mainstream politics by joining the People's Democratic Party (PDP) demonstrates a general trend of movement away from separatist groups like the APHC, highlighting the increasingly reduced relevance of such groups in the general-news context of Jammu and Kashmir politics.
- Ghulam Nabi Sofi's formal disassociation from the APHC and denouncement of separatist ideology, along with the denouncements of numerous other groups, underlines the growing sentiment in the political landscape that the APHC has failed to serve the aspirations and grievances of the common masses in Jammu and Kashmir, making it less influential and increasingly irrelevant in the realm of general-news and politics.
