B.L. Saraf
By all available indications Mehbooba Mufti should be in the saddle soon. The knowledgeable had foreseen time inching towards her to assume reigns of the state administration. But even a confirmed astrologer couldn’t foretell that it had actually arrived, or that it would knock at her door in a gloomy and frosty day of the Valley . As and when time makes a tryst with the daughter father Mufti Sayeed, though gladdened in the heart, would be regretting in the grave that his desire to see her anointed in a regal manner under his benevolent gaze, if not quite matching but somewhat near the level at which Sheikh Abdullah oversaw the coronation of his heir apparent, Farooq Abdullah, remained unfulfilled. After all, Mufti Sayeed saw himself next only to the Lion of Kashmir in the political landscape of the state.
For a perfect political sail, Mehbooba would have liked to ascend the throne when her father was there to bless her . Her plane will, surely, take off but the haze and turbulence generated by some of her disgruntled colleagues will make her flight rather a bumpy one. Senior Mufti would have been a great help to navigate her ship smoothly. For good reasons, BJP has invested so much in the association with Mufti Sayeed and PDP . The association with the political legatee of Mufti Sayeed must continue for the better of state and the country.
Mufti Sayeed started his political journey on a low key under G M Sadiq’s tutelage. Subsequently, he built his career as a confrontationist with a sole aim of destabilizing Sheikh Abdullah and the NC . He single handedly took on Sheikh Abdullah, at the time when he reigned supreme in the Valley . His relentless fight against the NC allowed Congress gain ground in Kashmir, though not sufficient enough to yield electoral gains. Nonetheless, he made the party a fighting force in the state. To achieve the purpose he cobbled together a coalition of the disparate political elements, whose enmity with the Sheikh was well known.
But with the passage of time and his exposure at the national level Mufti Saheb saw his enduring political future as a reconciler . This led him to create a new political platform in the shape of PDP and vigorously espouse local issues . The new posture allowed him open channels of communications with its separatists and helped him pull India’s chest nuts out of the fire at the time when things for the latter had nearly gone out of hand.
Mufti Sayeed has left the state at the time when his presence was required as much for by his daughter as by the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The country will seriously feel his absence. Mufti’s counsel would surely have been profitable for PM Narrandra Modi who has invested so much in good neighborly relations with Pakistan. Kashmir being a focal point, Mufti Sayeed’s inputs could prove very handy.
Curiously, Mufti Saheb’s rather untimely death strengthens the belief that Kashmir is jinxed. Whenever an effort is on the anvil to solve the riddle supernatural elements intervene to upset the apple cart .It happened in 1964 when Jawahar lal Nehru released Sheikh Abdullah from the custody and commissioned him to travel to Pakistan and, in consultation with General Ayub Khan, find a way forward to solve the problem . However, before Sheikh Saheb could embark on serious business Pandit Nehru expired, thus aborting the mission . History repeated itself in 1965, at Tashkent, with the untimely death of PM Shastri where he had gone to settle the issue with General Ayub Khan. Now, when PM Modi is on a reconciliatory path to Pakistan his possible aid in the endeavor fell prey to the angel of death.
Miss Mehbooba Mufti is no political greenhorn . She has made a niche for herself in political arena of the state and has the honor of achieving what her illustrious father couldn’t do in Kashmir while being in a national political party . She won her first assembly seat on the INC ticket in 1996 elections from Bijebehara constituency in Kashmir . Mehbooba will have to acquire the administrative capabilities if she has to deliver on the aspirations of the populace. A measured tone in word and deed should replace the shrill rhetoric . To rule J&K, with its complexities and contradiction, is surely a daunting task . Miss Mufti will have to shed unpleasant baggage of Amarnath land row and ensure that PDP is not viewed as a Kashmir centric party . Above all, try to keep her flock together . As an executive head of the state Miss Mufti should think and act pan state.
With Mufti Sayeed gone and Farooq Abdulla not in pink of his heath, a duty is cast on Miss Mehbooba and Omar Abdullah to steer the beleaguered state out of the rot it has fallen in .Central Government will be well advised to refrain from petty politicking . Jammu and Kashmir is not a place left to be managed by the spy masters, under covers and the so called experts . It needs governance that is sensitive to the aspirations of the populace. Job should be left to the genuine local political players.
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
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