History in Jammu Kashmir has its ups and downs, deceits, and upheavals, but nothing like this has been witnessed in the recent political history of Jammu Kashmir when nobody from the major political parties of the region attended the republic day function.
Former chief Ministers, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and Omar Abdullah for the first time ever in recent history have skipped greeting people on the republic day event, in fact, the former chief ministers stayed away from Social media and mainstream media on the 26th of January when India was celebrating its 72nd republic day, all of them skipped attending the event.
ALSO READ: ‘Betrayal and Losing Credibility’- Naeem Akhtar and the Politics of Detention in Jammu Kashmir
The former chief ministers of Jammu Kashmir had received formal invitations for joining the parade function at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar where the largest event of Republic day was being celebrated.
It is pertinent to mention here that the chief Ministers have been criticizing the BJP- led Government for its policies on Kashmir and minorities throughout India.
Mehbooba Mufti was released after nearly 15 months of detention under the Public Safety Act after she asked people to fight the possible attempts to change the demography of Kashmir. Mufti was booked under the Public Safety Act on August 05, 2019.
During her first press conference after her release, a Kashmir state flag was seen atop her table, which stoked a massive controversy.
Most of the workers of the People’s Democratic Party were also detained including their top leadership. Nayeem Akhtar who was released recently was arrested again for charges unknown to his family members.
Shehryat Khanum, his daughter speaking to The Kahsmiriyat said, “People think that as political prisoners, we have luxuries. It is not how it is. Currently where my father is detained, has no facilities to adhere to needs. I had to procure small things for him, from curtains, room heaters to blankets and flooring. The falling temperatures make matter worse. I understand that there is a certain kind of privilege that comes with who we are, but as long as someone is not abusing that power, the unnecessary calls of abuse, hate, and derogatory remarks make no sense,” she said.
Meanwhile, the National Conference president and vice president, Farooq and Omar Abdullah too despite getting the formal invitations, as per officials, skipped the republic day celebration. The duo had been arrested along with their hundreds of workers and booked under the Public Safety Act.
Farooq Abdullah has vocally spoken against the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A.
Though the Bhartiya Janta party has been criticizing the former chief Ministers for being ‘Anti-Nationals’ and saying that they have lost ground in the Kashmir valley, however the claims fell flat, when PAGD, an alliance of various groups including PDP, JKNC bagged majority of seats in the recently concluded DDC Polls in Jammu Kashmir.