Mehbooba Mufti Meets Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Srinagar Amid Gurez Retreat Controversy
By: Alia Kashmiri
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti met Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at his Nigeen residence in Srinagar on Sunday. The meeting came days after the two expressed concerns over a proposed “Tantra in Silence” retreat in Gurez. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
According to PDP sources, Mehbooba had expressed a desire to meet Mirwaiz. The meeting was also part of her ongoing interactions with different sections of Kashmiri society, including religious leaders, youth, women, scholars and social and political activists.
The proposed four-day retreat, titled “Tantra in Silence – A Journey Within”, was advertised for September 24 to 27 in Gurez Valley and listed Swami Dhyan Sumit as its facilitator. The programme attracted objections from Mehbooba Mufti and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The Jammu and Kashmir administration later clarified that no permission had been granted for the event.
Mirwaiz had backed the concerns raised by Mehbooba and called for official intervention over the proposed programme. Both leaders subsequently met in Srinagar, with discussions covering social, cultural and societal concerns as well as the prevailing political situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Mirwaiz confirmed the meeting and described it as a good interaction.
The meeting is notable because Mirwaiz has largely focused his public engagement in recent years on religious and social matters. He was released from house detention in September 2023 after being detained since August 2019, although he has faced restrictions on his movement and public activities at various times since then.
In December 2025, Mirwaiz removed the designation “Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference” from his X profile. He said the change followed pressure from authorities because the Hurriyat constituents, including his Awami Action Committee (AAC), had been banned under the UAPA. The Centre had declared the AAC an unlawful association for five years in March 2025.
Mirwaiz has also appeared alongside mainstream political leaders at public events. In May 2026, he attended the launch of a book on neurologist Dr Sushil Razdan in Srinagar alongside leaders including Farooq Abdullah, Abdul Rahim Rather, Saif-ud-din Soz, Ashok Koul, Naeem Akhtar and Iltija Mufti.
Neither Mehbooba Mufti nor Mirwaiz initially issued a detailed public statement on Sunday’s meeting, while the discussions were described by sources and Mirwaiz as covering social concerns and the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
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