Mufti Muhammad Sayeed became the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time in 2002, after almost five decades in politics. His Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), formed in 1999, emerged as a viable alternative to the National Conference (NC) in Kashmir largely because of the efforts of his daughter Mehbooba Mufti.
Mehbooba’s sympathy for the families of civilians and militants killed by security forces struck a chord with the people. She also succeeded in winning the support of pro-separatist parties who were at the receiving end of the NC’s pro-Delhi policy. The PDP continued to grow in Kashmir and made inroads in Jammu.
But in 2015, its supporters felt betrayed when the party allied with the BJP. After Sayeed’s death in 2016, Mehbooba took charge of the party and the state. But, her reign as chief minister saw the uprising against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. It left more than 110 dead and hundreds injured. Scores were left with pellet injuries to their eyes. Many lost their eyesight.
In June, the BJP pulled out of the coalition forcing Mehbooba to resign as chief minister. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, her first after the assembly was dissolved by the governor, Mehbooba reflects on the tie-up with the BJP and the trials that ensued. Excerpts:
Your father put his political career on the line by allying with the BJP, a decision you continued after his death. Yet your government was dismissed summarily.
Mufti sahib had said many times that it was an alliance between two politically opposing ideologies. But, for the larger interest and welfare of the state, and [considering] his experience with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he went for it. Not only our ideologies, but even our goals were different. There were contradictions on various issues. The BJP felt that it was the PDP [goals] that were being implemented and not theirs. So, looking at the 2019 elections, they pulled out.
Don’t you think that the way the PDP-BJP government collapsed strengthened the belief of many people that democracy in Kashmir is a farce?
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