Mirwaiz coincides birthday with Pakistan’s Republic Day

Bilal Bashir Bhat
The owner of highest religious seat of Kashmir Mirwaiz Umar Farooq incidentally shares birthday with the anniversary of constitution of once a darling Pakistan.
Pertinently, the first ever constitution of Pakistan was adopted on 23 March 1956 declared as the world’s first Islamic republic Country. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was born on the eve of Pakistan Day in 1973.
Pakistan had obtained its independence from the British Raj the 14th of August 1947. 23 March was originally supposed to commemorate the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan and thus the declaration of Pakistan as a republic. However, Field Marshal Ayub Khan abrogated the constitution and declared martial law. Khan’s regime, in order to justify celebrating the national day, changed it to commemorate the 1940 landmark, during which All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution which later cemented the formation of a new nation in the sub-continent as Pakistan, even though it did not actually mention Pakistan at all. The Muslim League annual conference was held from 22–24 March 1940 and the Lahore Resolution was passed on 23 March.
On the other hand Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was born exactly after 17 years, on the anniversary of Pakistan’s national Day i.e. on 23 March 1973 in Srinagar. Umar Farooq inherited as the 14th Mirwaiz of Kashmir in 1990 after the assassination of his father late Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq by unknown gunmen in Srinagar, thus held the title of Mirwaiz.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was an alumnus of the Burn Hall School in Srinagar, he had interests in computers and he wanted to become a software engineer. But fate had something else in store for this man, who became the founder-chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference at the age of 20. He also holds a PhD. in Islamic Studies from Kashmir University.
Mirwaiz is considered the more moderate of Kashmiri separatist leaders, always been at the forefront of anti-India politics in Kashmir. Presently Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is the house-hold name in Kashmir, among other Mirwaiz holds many designations which includes, Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference, President Mutahida Majlis Ulama, Patron Nusratul Islam, Chairman Awami Action Committee.
Mirwaiz recently visited Pakistan in Dec 2012, after the Pakistan visit he said that it was time to look beyond the United Nations for the solution to the Kashmir issue. It was a radical change of tack, even as recently as January this year, the moderate Hurriyat leader was all for a UN-sponsored solution to the Kashmir issue.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has a credit to become the founder chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in 1993.
The birthday boy Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on the eve of Pakistan’s National Day offered his warm greetings to the people and government of Pakistan. According to the statement Mirwaiz released to the Media said “I’m hopeful that Pakistan’s support will continue till the final settlement of the dispute on Kashmir.”
“Praying for the stability and economic prosperity of Pakistan, APHC Chairman said that as being very influential among the Islamic Nations, a politically and economically prosperous Pakistan was inevitable for the peace and stability of South Asia and the entire globe,” the statement reads.
(The writer of this column can be reached at bilalbashirbhat@gmail.com)