Mehbooba Mufti’s Journey from Foot Soldier to J&K Chief Minister
Daanish Bin Nabi
Like the other political dynasties in South Asia, the Muftis
have made their mark on the political landscape of Jammu & Kashmir. Kashmir
knows two Muftis. The first was the patriarch, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The other
is his daughter and political heir, Mehbooba Mufti.
Mufti Sayeed will be remembered by the people as “Delhi’s
Man in Kashmir” and the “Healing Touch” leader. His daughter, the dauntless
foot soldier of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has come of age to become
J&K’s first woman chief minister.
This is the story of the woman who donned the green pheran
to reach out to soothe the bleeding hearts in Kashmir – from
militant-associated families to conflict victims, brutalised by the use of
force.
Early Life
Born (May 22, 1959) at Akhran Nowpora, she went to
Srinagar’s Presentation Convent, graduated from state-run Women’s College in
Jammu in English literature, and then law, from the University of Kashmir.
When Mufti was the state Congress president in the early
1980s, the family resided in a government flat in the posh Tulsi Bagh area of
Srinagar. Mehbooba married Javid Ahmed, a businessman from Bijbehara, in 1983.
On Mehbooba’s wedding day, Indira Gandhi, who was then the Prime Minister,
served Javid at the Tulsi Bagh reception.
Entry to Politics
Many PDP loyalists and those close to the Mufti family say
that Mehbooba was a quick learner in politics. In the early 1990s, the Mufti
family underwent a horrifying experience, when Mufti’s youngest daughter, Rubayia
Sayeed, was abducted. After a few years, in 1996, Mehbooba won her first
election on a Congress ticket from Bijbehara. The 1996 election was believed to
have been rigged by the central government of the time.
PDP From 1999-2002
From 1999 to 2002, Mufti Sayeed and his daughter tried to
reach out to Kashmiris. This was PDP’s first “healing touch” period. The
party’s ‘soft separatism’ was their plank to reach out to the Kashmiris.
This was a period of intense learning for Mehbooba. She was
the face of the new political party, leading from the front, visiting almost
every village wherever any militant or civilian was killed.
On the ground, nothing concrete was achieved by the PDP
government during its first tenure from 2002 to 2005. The party did not score high
on achievements in 2015 either during Mufti Sayeed’s second stint as CM.
In the mid-2000s, Kashmir was relatively peaceful. Experts
and political analysts believed that all was well with Kashmiris now, and
“peace” had returned. In 2008, PDP governed J&K with the Congress at its
coalition partner. But soon enough, the partnership collapsed, following the
killing of 67 persons in police firing at Srinagar’s Eidgah ground.
The Dalliance with BJP
From 2008 to 2014, Kashmir went through one of its worst
phases of its history. Between 2008 and 2010, more than 200 people were killed.
The NC-Congress coalition government was targeted for nepotism and corruption.
The economy was in the doldrums and moral despondency high. In 2014, the state
saw the worst floods in a century.
With assembly elections due in November-December 2014, the
PDP once again was all set to give a hard time to the two old parties, NC and
Congress.
The BJP, riding high on the NaMo wave, won 25 seats in
Jammu, while the PDP won 28 seats in Kashmir, throwing up a fractured mandate.
It took the two parties two months to negotiate and form a post-poll alliance.
Although their 10-month rule saw various ups and downs, the coalition ceased to
exist with the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Mehbooba Resurrected
With the passing away of Mufti Sayeed, Mehbooba was once
again in the limelight. She has experience on her side but on the downside, she
has no administrative experience. One usually starts as a minister of state or
some other administrative post. Mehbooba’s portfolio does not boast any of
this. PDP’s coalition with BJP has also maligned the former’s image in Kashmir,
and the road ahead does not appear easy for her.
Mehbooba has to work as CM at a time when she is faced with
adversities. First, she has to manage a conflict-ridden state. Second, the BJP
has dented her party’s image. Third, senior PDP members are not happy with her
for the party’s alliance with the BJP. Fourth, the support of her team is now
being questioned. Fifth, she has to stay in the Centre’s good books if she
wants to govern the state and receive funds.
With such heavy odds stacked against her, how will Mehbooba
govern this volatile state?
