The urging of J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to the police in the state last week to help wean away the youth from militancy — so that they can join the mainstream — is an instance of inane rhetoric at a moment when her personal image has taken a hit and Kashmir remains in turmoil. For the past year and a half, the PDP-BJP coalition government headed by Ms Mufti has hit the downward curve in terms of popularity, and the situation turned critical in the wake of the violent protests that began in early July and are yet to fully abate. The tough stance of the security forces to contain the trouble has taken a special toll of Ms Mufti’s personal reputation since the PDP had been formed in 1999 on the platform of smoothing the path for former militants to join the mainstream.
This had made the party and its founder, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Mehbooba’s father and later chief minister, extremely popular and helped the PDP emerge as a new regional force in Kashmir. Ms Mufti’s exhortation to the police not to use strong measures such as using firearms, as far as possible, seems to be a desperate attempt to make herself and the PDP relevant once again. But this is likely to be a long haul. The security forces are engaged in unearthing miscreants and their leaders through combing operations in all districts of the Valley. This can place under strain any political tact that the CM can summon.
