Srinagar- In their first interaction in years, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday met Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at his residence here to discuss pressing societal challenges including rising drug abuse among youth, alongside the prevailing political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting comes days after the two leaders publicly voiced shared concerns over a proposed ‘Tantra in Silence’ retreat in north Kashmir’s Gurez valley, prompting the administration to clarify that no authorisation had been granted for the event.
“Mehboobaji visited me today. We had a conversation around the societal concerns and challenges facing us and the need to address them in a concerted manner taking all stakeholders along. We also discussed the prevailing political situation in Jammu and Kashmir in some detail. Overall it was a good interaction,” the Mirwaiz told PTI.
Sources close to the PDP chief said the former chief minister called on the prominent religious leader as part of her ongoing interactions with Kashmir’s youth, scholars, women, artists, and social and political activists to address social issues.
Mehbooba has been raising concerns on a range of social matters through editorials and informal discussions with young people, the sources said, adding that these issues were brought to the Mirwaiz’s attention.
The interaction takes place against the backdrop of growing concern among religious and community leaders over drug abuse, suicide, and other challenges confronting the valley’s youth.
Addressing the growing drug abuse by local youth formed a key focus of Sunday’s meeting between the PDP president and the Mirwaiz, both of whom expressed deep concern over the destructive toll of substance abuse on families and community health.
Stressing that punitive measures alone are insufficient to curb the menace, both leaders highlighted the need for a collective, multi-stakeholder strategy involving religious institutions, civil society, teachers, and healthcare professionals to drive awareness, eliminate social stigma, and ensure timely rehabilitation for affected youth, the sources said.
A recent conference of religious scholars headed by the Mirwaiz adopted resolutions expressing concern over rising substance abuse, self-harm, and environmental degradation.
The former separatist leader emphasised that such challenges require a sustained social response, with religious institutions playing a key role in raising awareness and guiding families toward professional help.
Both Mehbooba and the Mirwaiz had recently aligned over reports of the ‘Tantra in Silence’ programme scheduled in Gurez.
Calling the event an attempt to undermine Kashmir’s social and religious ethos, the Mirwaiz endorsed Mehbooba’s call for official action, noting that a similar event by the same organisers was cancelled by police in Goa following public outrage over its promotional content.
Mehbooba had earlier urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the local police to intervene, after which the administration clarified that no permission had been issued for the retreat.
Sunday’s meeting was the first formal political interaction for the former separatist leader who, as part of the moderate amalgam, had always advocated dialogue to resolve all issues.
After the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, mainstream leaders like Mehbooba and separatist figures like the Mirwaiz were detained by the Centre, significantly narrowing the traditional political gap between them.
Lately, Mehbooba has been frequently advocating for complete release of the Mirwaiz, criticising the administration whenever he was barred from addressing Friday sermons.
