Previously, while an outright comparison to Martin Luther King hasn't really been drawn, he has been seen in the same light by separatists/pro militancy/ultra-religious nutjobs and generally by people with...well... not the best of intentions.

It's really not that surprising. https://twitter.com/DrAyeshaRay/status/1288608019346063362

I seem to remember that a few years back, some major Pak newspaper had carried out an op-ed talking about Geelani's statement on the need for Kashmiri youth to take up arms (no surprise there) and alluded to King's writing to make a comparison.

It's not too surprising. Ultra religious folks (of almost all religions, & certainly all major ones) generally wish to either degrade/humiliate/dehumanize/convert/kill those who don't necessarily share the same beliefs.

This aspect in particular isn't an issue with just Kashmir.

This happens even within their own religions. Basically, dogmatic thinking about any aspect is dangerous. It just happens to be a cornerstone of the very idea of religion, so you see it being on outright display fairly commonly in this case.