Sheikh Abdullah of Kashmir: Revisiting his Politics and Their Lessons for the new Leadership of J&K

The prominence of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah as a political leader, closely intertwined with the history of modern Kashmir, continues to inspire new writings on Abdullah. This article places him into the larger sociopolitical canvas of the region and examines his political trajectory as a leader figure caught between multiple exigencies. Abdullah’s paradoxical and self-centred personality, and his use of the ‘Pakistan card’, which he may have thought benefitted the region, failed to stabilise both his political career as well as the internal affairs of J&K. Thereafter, New Delhi’s unilateral abrogation of the special status of J&K in 2019 added a further trust deficit between the political representatives of J&K and the Centre. The recent assembly elections in J&K gave an overwhelming majority to the National Conference party headed by Omar Abdullah, but also throw interesting challenges akin to those which his grandfather faced in his times. Examining the new political developments in the post-election Union Territory of J&K, this article interrogates what opportunities and challenges the junior Abdullah now faces to take both Jammu and the valley along the road to peace and inclusive development. Clearly now, the challenge is to understand how to navigate the manifestly continuing trust deficit between the people of J&K, their leaders and the Indian central government.