The Death of Dynasties

The defeat of two prominent dynasts and Engineer Rashid's win mark a major shift in Kashmir's politics

- Naseer Ganai

LOCATED amid the idyllic landscape of forest-fringed paddy fields with a clear view of the mountains, the village of Mawar in Kupwara district, is abuzz. Mawar, located in the Langata area, is where Engineer Rashid, Kashmir’s political flavour of the season, hails from. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Rashid defeated heavyweights like former chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference candidate Sajjad Lone, in the battle for the prestigious Baramulla constituency. Unlike his defeated opponents, Rashid was—and continues to be— incarcerated in connection with a 2019 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case.

But despite his continued incarceration, even today, after Rashid’s mammoth electoral victory, hundreds of Kashmiri youth trek to Mawar to listen to the jailed politician’s son, 23-year-old Abrar Rashid and Awami Ithad Party (AIP) leaders like Showkat Pandit.

While Rashid founded AIP, he chose to contest as an independent candidate in the general elections because his political party was not a formally registered outfit.

Recently, Pandit was angry over assertions made by some analysts, quoted by NC Vice-President Omar Abdullah on social media, who said, “Rashid’s victory will empower secessionists and give Kashmir’s defeated Islamist movement a renewed sense of hope.”

Pandit tries to correct such political jibes in his engagement with the youth in Mawar. He argues that AIP’s mission is to guide youngsters towards democracy and development, and that Rashid’s massive vote count would encourage more people to embrace democracy and mainstream politics in the region.

Pandit has asked Abdullah to refrain from such tweets, as they undermine the people’s vote. With Abrar Rashid by his side, Pandit reiterates AIP’s commitment to peace, dignity, safety and education.