‘Let’s Be Honest—Hurriyat Has Lost Relevance in Today’s Kashmir,’ Former Separatist Leader Tells PTI
SRINAGAR, JULY 19: In a candid admission that reflects the shifting political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, former separatist leader Bilal Gani Lone has declared that the Hurriyat Conference—once considered the primary voice of separatist sentiment in the Valley—has lost all relevance and is now non-functional.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Lone said:
“Hurriyat is no more relevant as on date. Hurriyat is not even functional. Let’s be honest about it… when you talk about Hurriyat as on date, it’s not present anywhere in Kashmir.”
Lone, who once played a key role in the Hurriyat Conference, acknowledged the organization’s decline, attributing it to its own inability to act.
“Hurriyat Conference has lost relevance because we could not act. So the concept of Hurriyat may have been good at that time… but when we visualise Hurriyat today, it is non-functional.”
His remarks come at a time when the Valley’s political landscape is undergoing a recalibration, with former separatist figures increasingly distancing themselves from past affiliations and aligning with mainstream democratic frameworks.
The statement also reflects growing public and political perception that the Hurriyat platform, once central to Kashmir’s separatist politics, has faded into near-complete obscurity following internal divisions, leadership voids, and a crackdown on its activities post-August 2019.
While no formal reaction has yet come from any residual Hurriyat factions, observers believe Lone’s comments may trigger further debate around the future of separatist politics in Kashmir.
—Kashmir Pen News Service
