Mehbooba faults Sheikh Abdullah for Kashmir’s political estrangement
Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has accused National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah of undermining Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India through his subsequent support for Pakistan, a plebiscite and separatist politics.
Addressing an Accession Day gathering at her party headquarters in Srinagar on Monday, the former chief minister alleged that Abdullah’s political reversal strengthened Hindutva organisations and provided ammunition for their campaign against Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status.
Mufti said Abdullah, initially a leading advocate of accession, subsequently adopted positions that encouraged suspicion towards Kashmiris and damaged relations between the region and the Union government.
She maintained that his political transformation helped strengthen demands for “one nation, one flag and one Constitution”, a campaign associated with opposition to Jammu and Kashmir’s separate constitutional arrangements.
The PDP leader questioned what had transpired between Abdullah and the central leadership to produce such a dramatic change in his political position.
Recalling the relationship between Abdullah and Jawaharlal Nehru, Mufti said the first prime minister had envisioned Jammu and Kashmir as a demonstration of India’s secular and democratic character.
She argued that Abdullah’s subsequent disenchantment with New Delhi altered the political atmosphere surrounding accession and created opportunities for organisations seeking the withdrawal of constitutional protections.
Mufti particularly criticised Abdullah’s involvement in the plebiscite movement following his dismissal and arrest in 1953. She said his prolonged campaign contributed to a perception that Kashmiris were politically unreliable despite their original acceptance of accession.
According to Mufti, Abdullah pursued that political course for approximately 22 years before reaching an agreement with the central government in 1975 and returning to office.
She alleged that his eventual abandonment of the plebiscite demand did little to reverse the distrust generated during the intervening period.
Her criticism represented a direct challenge to the political legacy of the National Conference founder, whose role in Jammu and Kashmir’s accession and subsequent constitutional disputes remains central to competing interpretations of the region’s history.
Abdullah supported accession in 1947 but subsequently clashed with New Delhi over Jammu and Kashmir’s political autonomy. His dismissal in 1953 was followed by years of detention and political mobilisation around the question of self-determination.
The 1975 accord with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi facilitated Abdullah’s return as chief minister within the constitutional framework of India.
Mufti’s interpretation places responsibility for the deterioration of political trust partly on Abdullah, although his dismissal, detention and disputes with successive central governments also shaped the political developments of that period.
The PDP president linked that history to the constitutional changes introduced by the BJP-led government in August 2019, when provisions of Article 370 were revoked and the former state was reorganised into two Union Territories.
She argued that the removal of special status represented a further erosion of assurances associated with accession, particularly protections concerning identity, land and employment.
Mufti maintained that Jammu and Kashmir had joined India because its people trusted the secular commitments of leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, B R Ambedkar and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Those commitments, she said, had helped reassure the Muslim-majority region that its distinct cultural and political identity would be respected within the Union.
She accused the central government of relying excessively on security restrictions and investigative agencies instead of establishing political confidence through dialogue.
The former chief minister cited arrests, police summons, travel restrictions and difficulties obtaining passports as examples of what she described as continuing pressure on residents.
She also disputed the BJP’s portrayal of public silence as evidence of normality, arguing that restrictions on political expression could not be equated with popular acceptance.
Her remarks came as the BJP organised separate Accession Day commemorations, celebrating the decision of Maharaja Hari Singh to join India.
BJP representatives praised the former ruler for rejecting the two-nation theory and choosing accession during the upheaval surrounding Partition.
The party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit described the signing of the Instrument of Accession as a historic decision that secured the region’s future within India.
Accession Day commemorates October 26, 1947, when Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession following an invasion by Pakistan-backed tribal forces.
The document provided the legal basis for accession, which took effect on October 27.
October 26 became an official public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020, following the constitutional reorganisation of the former state.
Addressing an Accession Day gathering at her party headquarters in Srinagar on Monday, the former chief minister alleged that Abdullah’s political reversal strengthened Hindutva organisations and provided ammunition for their campaign against Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status.
Mufti said Abdullah, initially a leading advocate of accession, subsequently adopted positions that encouraged suspicion towards Kashmiris and damaged relations between the region and the Union government.
She maintained that his political transformation helped strengthen demands for “one nation, one flag and one Constitution”, a campaign associated with opposition to Jammu and Kashmir’s separate constitutional arrangements.
The PDP leader questioned what had transpired between Abdullah and the central leadership to produce such a dramatic change in his political position.
Recalling the relationship between Abdullah and Jawaharlal Nehru, Mufti said the first prime minister had envisioned Jammu and Kashmir as a demonstration of India’s secular and democratic character.
She argued that Abdullah’s subsequent disenchantment with New Delhi altered the political atmosphere surrounding accession and created opportunities for organisations seeking the withdrawal of constitutional protections.
Mufti particularly criticised Abdullah’s involvement in the plebiscite movement following his dismissal and arrest in 1953. She said his prolonged campaign contributed to a perception that Kashmiris were politically unreliable despite their original acceptance of accession.
According to Mufti, Abdullah pursued that political course for approximately 22 years before reaching an agreement with the central government in 1975 and returning to office.
She alleged that his eventual abandonment of the plebiscite demand did little to reverse the distrust generated during the intervening period.
Her criticism represented a direct challenge to the political legacy of the National Conference founder, whose role in Jammu and Kashmir’s accession and subsequent constitutional disputes remains central to competing interpretations of the region’s history.
Abdullah supported accession in 1947 but subsequently clashed with New Delhi over Jammu and Kashmir’s political autonomy. His dismissal in 1953 was followed by years of detention and political mobilisation around the question of self-determination.
The 1975 accord with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi facilitated Abdullah’s return as chief minister within the constitutional framework of India.
Mufti’s interpretation places responsibility for the deterioration of political trust partly on Abdullah, although his dismissal, detention and disputes with successive central governments also shaped the political developments of that period.
The PDP president linked that history to the constitutional changes introduced by the BJP-led government in August 2019, when provisions of Article 370 were revoked and the former state was reorganised into two Union Territories.
She argued that the removal of special status represented a further erosion of assurances associated with accession, particularly protections concerning identity, land and employment.
Mufti maintained that Jammu and Kashmir had joined India because its people trusted the secular commitments of leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, B R Ambedkar and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Those commitments, she said, had helped reassure the Muslim-majority region that its distinct cultural and political identity would be respected within the Union.
She accused the central government of relying excessively on security restrictions and investigative agencies instead of establishing political confidence through dialogue.
The former chief minister cited arrests, police summons, travel restrictions and difficulties obtaining passports as examples of what she described as continuing pressure on residents.
She also disputed the BJP’s portrayal of public silence as evidence of normality, arguing that restrictions on political expression could not be equated with popular acceptance.
Her remarks came as the BJP organised separate Accession Day commemorations, celebrating the decision of Maharaja Hari Singh to join India.
BJP representatives praised the former ruler for rejecting the two-nation theory and choosing accession during the upheaval surrounding Partition.
The party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit described the signing of the Instrument of Accession as a historic decision that secured the region’s future within India.
Accession Day commemorates October 26, 1947, when Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession following an invasion by Pakistan-backed tribal forces.
The document provided the legal basis for accession, which took effect on October 27.
October 26 became an official public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020, following the constitutional reorganisation of the former state.