Tracing The History of Elections in Jammu and Kashmir
The Election rigging of 1987 changed the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, and till today the mainstream political parties in the Valley, mainly Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, are adding to the sufferings of the local people. Read More
The Election rigging of 1987 changed the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir. On 21st of April 1986 under the leadership of Maulana Masroor Abbas Ansari United Muslim Front (UMF) came into being. The UMF comprised of leaders like Syed Ali shah Geelani who then was a leader of Jamaat-E- Islami, leader of Umaat-E-Islami Maulana Qazi Nissar also known as Mirwaiz of South Kashmir, Prof Gani Bhat and many others.
The UMF was banned in the same year in the month of September by then Governor Jagmohan. The ban was imposed after the leader of MUF Maulana Qazi Nissar defied the order by Jagmohan on Janmashtami the birthday of Hindu Lord Krishan. Qazi Nissar was arrested and MUF was banned.
But the UMF was soon rechristened as Muslim United Front (MUF). The MUF was a collection of people who jumped into the democratic process of elections. But after the rigging of 1987, the collection became a body that motivated people to boycott elections.
Mohammad Yousuf Shah, now Syed Salahuddin, was MUF's candidate from Amira Kadal constituency. He lost to Ghulam Hassan Mir of the National Conference (NC). The poll rigging helped the NC candidate win the election that otherwise was clearly in Syed Salahuddin’s favour.
Had the National Conference (NC) not fallen so low for power today Salahuddin would have been Yousuf Shah - a respected leader who contested the elections under the Indian Constitution. Now, he heads Untied Jihad Council.
Late Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a towering leader of Hurriyat Conference, has been MLA from Sopor Constituency in 1972, 1977, and also in 1987. What changed his mind later must not be ignored. He had taken oath for three times on the Constitution of India. People blaming everything on others must brainstorm this change of mind.
There was a huge turbulence in the Valley after the poll rigging. With time, things gradually started to be back on track. Governor Girish Chandra Saxena, who was Chief of India's external intelligence, used his iron fist policy to make things what they called “Normal”.
Nothing was normal. It was all iron fist.
The government at the Centre was headed by PV Narsimha Roa, who decided to hold elections in Jammu & Kashmir for the first time after the 1987 poll rigging. It was in the year 1992, PV Narsimha Roa, who was holding a rally in Vishakhapatnam in the month of July, announced the holding of elections in J&K. The brain behind it was Union Home Minister SB Chavan, who had declared in the beginning of the year that elections should be held in Jammu and Kashmir.
It was Saxena's policies - whether iron fist or whatever, that made the Centre capable of announcing elections in J&K. The elections become a possibility when with iron fist the government took confidence building measures. The government engaged with the people who once were Assembly candidates but now were against the Constitution and everything related to it.
As a part of the confidence building measures, the government ordered release of five top leaders - Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ghani Lone, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Qazi Nassir Ahmad and Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat. All the leaders were arrested in the beginning of early 1990 and all were part of the Muslim United Front (MUF). They were released in April 1992 as a step to restore political dialogue. As many as 97 more others were also released as part of confidence building measure.
Further, the deployment of CRPF and BSF was gradually thinned in Srinagar to give people a sense and feeling that things have started to change and that the centre wants people of Jammu and Kashmir to live with dignity and peace.
Shankarrao Chavan, the then Home Minster, visited Kashmir and met everyone and whosoever wanted to meet him. He met Yasin Mailk, the head of HAJY group, and also Shabbir Shah. Shah was in those days called headmaster of all. Later Shah came to be known as Nelson Mandela of Kashmir but unfortunately he’s in jail today. Hamid Sheikh who was a member of HAJY group was released from prison through uncontested bail application. Hamid had reportedly met pital in the mid of 1992, when he was on a visit as Special Affairs Minister for Kashmir.
The Government back then was keen in bringing peace to Kashmir. But the normalcy always eluded Kashmir. Shabbir Shah, Nayeem Khan and Firdous Syed once helped the government to restore the electoral process at one time.
Where are Shah and Khan today? Who’s responsible for all the mess that we are in today? Hurriyat or Untied Jihad Council? All these are part of the mess. But, the real culprits of the mess are the National Conference leadership - from Sheikh Abdullah to now Omar Abdullah every single one added to the mess and the sufferings of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sheikh Abdullah who stood against the Dogra Rule became a prominent political figure of Jammu and Kashmir. The National Conference which has been taken out was Muslim Conference in 1931 after the ideological clashes won 99 seat out of 100 in the elections of the Constituent Assembly.
The same Constituent Assembly proposed Article 370 to be the framework of relationship between Srinagar and Union of India. But time after time Sheikh Abdullah for his lust of power slowly and gradually, and with the help of the Congress, eroded all the provisions of the Article 370 one after another. Delhi Agreement was the beginning of it.
Sheikh Abdullah was arrested soon after Article 370 was made part of the Constitution. He was arrested in 1953 while he was in Gulmarg as Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He surrendered and signed Delhi Agreement and was made the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir which he happily agreed to. The way he’s being presented by his partymen had he actually been that he would have never agreed to downgrade of his own position. Instead he would have preferred being in jail rather than being the Chief Minister.
Then came his son Farooq Abdullah. He nowadays keeps high moral grounds but he’s nothing of what he presents himself. Just like his father he has always served to be in power no matter what it took.
Back in 1994, the Union Government was busy trying to get Hurriyat leaders into the mainstream politics. As this news reached Farooq Abdullah, who was in London, came running fearing that he would lose his CM chair. He expressed his anger to whosoever he could. But as he got to know that they won’t hold he ran back to London again.
When the elections were due in 1996 Farooq returned and became the Chief Minister again annoying Shabbir Shah who was eyeing the top post. Farooq Abdullah kept having alliance with the Congress, forgetting what the party had done to his government back in 1986.
Farooq Abdullah can do anything to remain in power be it giving up his self respect. The National Conference (NC) no more talks about autonomy that they bragged during elections of 90’s. The fact is that their proposal of autonomy was thrown into the dustbin by the Central government about which they don’t want to talk in public. Farooq Abdullah’s betrayals continue even now. He was told that he will be made Vice President of India though his dream is still a dream.
Then came Omar Abdullah. The grandson of Sheikh Abdullah and son of Farooq Abdullah crossed all the limits. While he was the Chief Minister of Kashmir, the Valley lost 120 young men to violence. Thousands were put behind bars and some are still languishing in jails. While he was the Chief Minister, he strongly expressed his disagreement on removal of the Public Safety Act (PSA). Today he’s promising people about removal of the PSA if his party is voted to power in the state. The Asiya and Neelofer double rape and murder case is another black spot on his government. He also miserably failed during the 2014 Kashmir floods.
Today the National Conference (NC) is labelling everyone of being the ABCD team of BJP, forgetting that their party Vice-President began his political career as a minster in the BJP government led by Vajpayee.
The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) that was formed for the unity of Jammu and Kashmir political parties is now shattered. The National Conference just because was asked to give Anantnag seat to Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) separated themselves from the alliance. They are of the view that they have won the seat earlier and there is no sense in giving this seat to anyone else.
The same National Conference leaders were happy with the DDC elections fighting in alliance just because they were given ample number of seats.
If we go by the last election logic, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had won the majority of the seats. Applying this logic the PDP should have got more seats then the JKNC. But this didn’t happen. And, now when it was time for the National Conference to give the Anantnag seat to PDP, it parted away from alliance just because they don’t want to compromise on a single seat.
The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference didn’t do any wonders in the last Parliamentary Elections. A total of 10% of votes were casted in Srinagar. The NC and Congress had a joint candidate in Srinagar. And on the other two seats of the Valley, they had friendly contest with Congress but NC won both the seats.
The ego in the National Conference leadership is easily seen. The way JKNC leaders address press conferences speaks volumes about their ego and overconfidence. The NC leadership must remember that overconfidence has always made people fail miserably. Overconfidence ruins but never helps. Now it will be interesting to see who wins the high battle ground in Jammu and Kashmir.
[The writer, Raqif Makhdoomi, is a Rights Activist and a Law student. Views expressed are personal.]
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