Waheed Para’s Politics of Presence

The Pulwama MLA combines visibility, grassroots engagement, and advocacy to assert relevance in post-2019 Kashmir.

- Arsalan Reshi

Pulwama's Naira village might seem too small to matter in politics. Its lanes and landscape rarely draw attention. Still, from this corner of Kashmir, Waheed Ur Rehman Para, known simply as Waheed Para, has emerged as one of the region's most visible young politicians.

His rise is instructive. It reflects both the promise of personal connection and the stark limits of political authority in post-2019 Kashmir.

The revocation of Article 370 shattered old power networks and intensified central oversight. Political legitimacy is constantly questioned. In this landscape, presence matters.

Waheed's detractors in dozens and diehards in droves say his appeal lies in accessibility.

Residents describe being able to reach him for wage disputes, bureaucratic hurdles, or local grievances. Social media amplifies his reach, making him a bridge between citizens and the system.

His rise is methodical, if not meteoric.

Joining the People's Democratic Party in 2013, he became a political analyst to Chief Minister Mufti Syed and later Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council.