Muhammad Tahir Sayeed
Mehbooba Mufti is all set to write a new chapter in the political history of state. After accepting the crown, Mehbooba has an uphill task ahead.
She has to carry the legacy of peace, transparency, development and reconciliation her father initiated.
Many critics view her alleviation to the position of Chief Minister much akin to Omar Abdullah of National Conference as a continuation of ‘dynastic rule’. But as far as we know her political career this claim seem to be very naïve and politically erroneous. The fact is that Mehboba never opted for political short-cuts; opportunism and politics of adventurism is something she always tried to desist.
Her determination to get involved at the grassroots level, understand the problems of plebeians, marginalized and disadvantaged make her a right contender to lead the state next. Considering her political journey, it becomes evident that she started it as a strong grassroots level worker.
At a time when the National Conference used every political mischief to create its hegemony by crushing all voices of dissent, it was Mehbooba who took the challenge and bagged the assembly seat from her home constituency Bijbehara on the Congress ticket in 1996.
Mehbooba would have continued with Congress and made her political career easily with a national political party but she strived hard and gave an alternative political voice to the hapless people of state. It was during these political settings mired in uncertainty when she along with her father Mufti Muhammad Syeed together with other likeminded people floated Peoples Democratic Party. Floating a new political front in a politically unstable state and leaving one national party was a huge decision. The circumstance in Kashmir and the political tribulations since 1947 present a testimony to the fact that every attempt to create alternative politics experimented by the then political stalwarts almost ended in failure.
She built this party brick by brick under the mentorship and guidance of Mufti Muhammad Syeed. She left no stone unturned to strengthen the party at grassroots level. Eventually party grew slowly with the leadership, vision, political acumen and wisdom of Mufti sahib and her own hard work.
Undeniably, she was part of every important decision making but she never took a decision at her own without consulting father. Here the PDP came into existence and people reposed faith in it.
Despite lack of resources in its maiden election of 2002, party won 16 seats and formed the coalition government with Congress. It was here the first political take off for the party, and today, PDP is not only expanding within the state but is popular in the rest of country for its inclusive political and economic agenda.
The outstanding reach of its progressive political and economic agenda is evident from the fact that it has in Parliamentary elections swept all the seats from valley and increased the vote share in Jammu region. It was followed by the Assembly elections during the same year when party emerged out as the single largest political party despite results throwing a fractured mandate.
In a state like Kashmir, where every kind of war mongering, human rights abuse, unemployment, harassment, and killings of innocent was a norm, PDP not only tried every experiment of healing touch to get this troubled state out from this mess but helped to give a new hope to the future generation of valley.
The dividends of peace and healing touch policy we strongly believe will be realized by the state in near future. Better relations with our neighboring state Pakistan, dialogue with all internal and external stake holders of Kashmir issue, and reaching out to the unheard victims of Kashmir conflict is one of the core policies of PDP.
Mehbooba who is famous for raising the voice against all atrocities, human rights violations is also considered one of the few politicians in the state who stand by the deprived sections of our society without any kind of prejudice.
She is rightly called as the ‘iron lady of Kashmir’, because she preached peace, prosperity and development in the peripheries of Kashmir at a time when it was even impossible to discuss politics right in the heart of the city. However, when she reached a crucial and decisive phase of her political career, she unfortunately lost her political guide and mentor and above all a loving father.
She made it sure that the agenda of alliance is just not a document but a road map which needs to be followed. Allying with the BJP was not an easy choice but Mufti Sahib’s dream of transforming this ailing state to a model state motivated him to walk an extra political mile and experiment new political innovations. We are sure about the positive outcomes of this next experiment. Good luck Mehbooba Mufti.
( http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/opinion/the-journey-ahead/213506.html )