Intense South Kashmir Election Campaign Takes Spiritual Turn

In the South Kashmir election campaign, spiritual powers and themes have taken centre stage, with the two leading regional parties, the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), incorporating spiritual discourse into their political strategies.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has accused the National Conference of intimidating people by invoking fear of going against the Pir. 

 A "Pir" (also spelled "Peer") is a term used in Sufism to refer to a spiritual guide or master. In Islamic mysticism, a Pir is a person who is considered to have attained a high level of spiritual enlightenment and wisdom and is capable of guiding others on their spiritual journey. 

The main contest in the South Kashmir Anantnag-Rajouri constituency is between the National Conference candidate Mian Altaf, who is a highly respected Gujjar leader and spiritual Pir, and the PDP candidate, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. The Apni Party, which came into existence after the abrogation of Article 370, has fielded Zafar Iqbal Manhas, a Pahari leader, from the constituency.

While speaking to reporters in Poonch, Mehbooba Mufti accused the National Conference of exploiting Gujjar voters through emotional manipulation. She claimed that the Gujjar community was being told that if they did not vote for Mian Altaf, they would suffer spiritual consequences. “A Pir and a Member of Parliament are two different subjects,” she said, also accusing the National Conference of spreading the propaganda that “a woman candidate should not be voted for,” which she argued is against Islam and humanity. She called the notion that failing to vote for the Pir would result in hell or disease as "unfortunate."

Mehbooba also attacked the Apni Party, accusing it of assuming there would be no voting in the Kashmir region due to some incident, leading to a division of votes in the Pir Panchal region, which they hope to exploit. She questioned the recent attack on tourists in Pahalgam, and asked the police to investigate “a political party which has brought more hawala money for militancy in Kashmir.”

Responding to Mehbooba's accusations, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah criticized her for portraying her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, as a "Mard-e-Momin" while denying the same recognition to Mian Altaf. "Mard-e-Momin," a term derived from Persian and Urdu, translates to "Man of Faith" or "True Believer," and is used to describe a deeply pious person with moral integrity and spiritual strength. Omar addressing people in Pahalgam said the INDIA alliance candidate Mian Altaf was fighting against communal forces and those who do not respect “Mian Sahab's” spiritual status and influence. Without directly naming Mehbooba Mufti, he said she criticizes  Mian Altaf's spiritual aspects but often refers to her father as a "Mard-e-Momin."  “She doesn't miss an opportunity to mention that whenever she names her father. At that time, she didn't say that religion was being used,” Omar said.

Omar also accused the PDP of bringing the BJP to Jammu and Kashmir, which, he claimed, led to the abrogation of Article 370. He said that during the PDP-BJP alliance, the then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh often talked having “the final solution of Kashmir.” Omar said that after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, BJP leaders revealed they had been working on it for five years, which includes the 3.5-year coalition with the PDP. He criticized Mehbooba Mufti for not attacking the BJP and focusing her criticisms solely on the National Conference.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on a different course in the constituency. The party, urging people to vote for any candidate other than those from the NC and PDP in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, has now openly allied with leaders from the Apni Party. The BJP is not contesting in the constituency, where elections are set for May 25. 

At a rally in Poonch, Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari and their Anantnag candidate, Zafar Iqbal Manhas, shared the stage with BJP leaders. Both  NC and PDP have criticized the Apni Party candidate, accusing the BJP of indirectly contesting the election through a "proxy" candidate, often referring to the Apni Party as the BJP’s B team. Earlier this year, the BJP-led central government granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Paharis, upsetting the Gujjars who already held this status. The BJP is now seeking the support of the Paharis to back the Apni Party.

On Monday, J&K BJP General Secretary Vibodh Gupta openly extended support to the Apni Party during a gathering in the Khawas area of Rajouri. "We will extend our support to Apni Party’s Zafar Manhas to defeat the politics of corruption and dynastic politics. With the support of the BJP, no one can stop Apni Party from winning the poll," Gupta said.

While addressing people in Kulgam on Wednesday, PDP leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra avoided attacking anyone and took a different approach. “In 70 years, every state in India got more. It is only Jammu and Kashmir which was reduced to a Union Territory cum Municipality. This happened to the state that once had its own Prime Minister,” Parra said. He said that at this juncture, Kashmiris have only one power: the vote. “And the government is afraid of this vote. If it weren't afraid, it would have conducted the Assembly polls in Kashmir,” he added. He accused the government of promoting a boycott of the polls to ensure the continuous disempowerment of the people in the region. “As the Jamaat-e-Islami head voted, there is a message that you should vote and empower one party with your vote,” he said. Parra also noted that after August 5, 2019, there has been silence in Kashmir, and anyone who speaks out, whether religious or any other leader, is arrested. H said that thousands of Kashmiris are in custody in different jails across the country. He urged people to vote.