Peak Season in the Pir Panjal

Politicians excel at stirring up emotions at election time, and Kashmiris are torn between responding with cries or slogans

- Naseer Ganai

NATIONAL Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah asks people to rise early and pray, saying that even in ‘New India’, he feels unsafe as a Muslim, fearing the possibility of being assaulted. People’s Conference President Sajad Lone continues to share his experience of being jailed and tortured, identifying himself as one of many Kashmiris who have endured such trauma. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti recounts her prolonged detention following the abrogation of Article 370, remembering how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government even investigated her father late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s grave, but she says she will remain resilient. Independent candidate Engineer Rashid’s 23-year-old son, Abrar Rashid, campaigning for his jailed father, expresses the toll of his years of emotional turmoil, and often sheds tears. During a speech, NC leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’s emotional moment triggers a collective outburst of grief from the crowd.

However, the outpouring of tears from political leaders has created a dilemma for the people of Kashmir as they are torn between responding with cries or slogans, but ultimately, most choose to respond with slogans.

Abrar Rashid is one of the leaders who have stirred deep emotions in the political landscape of the Valley. With Engineer Rashid imprisoned in Tihar, Abrar led the campaign this time, making people emotional through his deeply felt political speeches that are dotted with poetry. A week after the abrogation of Article 370, Abrar’s father Rashid, a two-time MLA of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act (UAPA). The NIA alleged that Rashid received funds from Pakistan to support separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), accusations that Rashid has consistently denied.