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Muzamil Jaleel
After three decades of party-hopping in national politics, former Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has anchored himself to his home state completely and played the autonomy card with so much zeal that it's threatening the decades-long monopoly of the National Conference (NC).
He usurped the NC plank of restoration of autonomy to the state after launching a regional outfit, the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Ironically, once the only known face of national politics in Kashmir, Mufti now talks in an anti-Centre and pro-Kashmir voice. In fact, his party is so shrill about the alleged human rights abuses committed by the security forces and demands an unconditional dialogue with the terrorists so vehemently that most of the times the PDP resembles a secessionist outfit.
The colour of his party's flag is ``deliberately'' green, to appeal to the religious feelings of the Muslim-dominated state. However, not lagging behind in countering NC's Kashmiriyat card, the flag also has a Chinar leaf onit.
This latest manoeuvre of the Mufti in Kashmir politics seems to be paying dividends but he is not the brain behind it. It is his daughter Mehbooba, who jumped into active politics as a Congress candidate for the Bijbehara Assembly seat and won it in 1996. Even the Mufti's victory in the last parliamentary polls from Anantnag constituency, where a Congress leader could never have dreamt of anything beyond losing his deposit, is credited to her.
A law graduate, Mehbooba joined Bombay Mercantile Bank as a foreign exchange officer in 1989 and later worked at the East West Airlines as a personnel officer, but finally quit the job to enter politics.
How has Mehbooba changed the political fate of her experienced father who has twice been in the Union Cabinet? It is the emotional card which she plays quite deftly. She does not miss a single opportunity to visit the mourning families of people killed in violence and even joins the wailing women. She even condoles the death of local militants. She speaksagainst custodial killings, disappearances and torture allegedly committed by the security forces. She talks of corruption and nepotism in the corridors of power. She questions the elitist lifestyle of leaders of the ruling party. She believes that Kashmir is disputed and seeks resolution of the problem according to the wishes of the people. And, most importantly, she talks of change, of peace, of relief from this daily bloodshed.
All these things strike a chord among the people who have been encountering problems in the past decade of turmoil. ``I don't know whether she is honest or not? I at times feel she will prove to be yet another power-hungry politician. But let us give her a chance. Let us have another gamble,'' says Mohammad Akbar, a shopkeeper in Srinagar, when a PDP campaign vehicle passes by seeking votes for Mehbooba.
The strong feeling for a change in Kashmir is working to the advantage of the Muftis. A college student, Riyaz Ahmad, says, ``She seems to be speaking the truth. But who knowswhether she is wearing a mask?''
Mehbooba's election rallies across the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, where she is contesting against Omar Abdullah, NC candidate and Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's son, aims at touching the raw nerve. Sensing she is up against all odds, she tackles the political duel emotionally. ``I am daughter of Kashmir and he (Omar) is the son of the Sultan (king). I have nothing but your support, he has a treasure trove and banks on his father's government machinery,'' she says. ``He can't even speak Kashmiri, I can feel the pulse of my people''. Pleading for a chance, she requests the crowd not to give in to oppression and vote for change.
How does Mehbooba react to questions about her father's role in the``bullet for bullet policy'' in Kashmir, especially since he was the Union Home Minister during the peak days of turmoil? ``We all regret having been at the wrong places at the wrong time,'' she responds. ``My father was not the Home Minister when the Bijbehara massacrehappened; when nine persons coming out of the mosque were killed in Kishtwar; when 19 persons, including 14 children, were butchered,'' she says.
Regarding her party's demand for an unconditional dialogue with militants, she says, ``We have to initiate a dialogue sooner or later. It is better to come to the table as early (as possible) and prevent more killings and bloodshed.'' She, however, clarifies, ``We want a dialogue only with the local militants, who belong to this place and have many genuine grievances, and not with any foreign militant.''
She claims her party can prove to be pivotal in the resolution of the Kashmir problem. ``We will not fight with the gun or go for boycott of politics. We will fight with the strong constitutional arsenal of this country.''
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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