Srinagar polls near, an unusual visitor makes an unusual visit to Jamia Masjid
WHEN HE made a surprise visit to Jamia Masjid while campaigning for his party candidate Mohammad Ashraf Mir in Srinagar Old City Monday, J&K Apni Party leader Altaf Bukhari became the first mainstream leader since the inception of militancy in 1990 to do so.
The Old City or downtown Srinagar is seen as the hotbed of separatism in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, with the historic grand mosque, the religious seat of Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, at the heart of it. Even when mainstream political activity was seen in the Old City area intermittently over the years, the Jamia Masjid remained a no-go area for mainstream politicians.
Bukhari’s surprise visit came against the backdrop of his efforts over the past year to garner support from the vast separatist constituency, and the coming Lok Sabha elections where his party is a prominent stakeholder in the Valley area.
This is especially significant as the Apni Party, set up in 2020, after the abrogation of Article 370, has been trailed by the impression that it is the Centre’s proxy in Kashmir.
In June last year, Bukhari made his first public attempt to reach out to the other side when he visited former Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat at his Sopore home. Unlike in the past when political leaders would keep meetings with separatists secret, Bukhari posted his picture with Bhat on social media.
A few weeks later, Bukhari drove to the residence of another Hurriyat leader and Shia cleric, Aga Hassan Musavi, in Budgam. This time again, Bukhari posted his picture with Aga Hassan on Twitter, now X.
Bukhari even made an overture towards the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), which was banned by the Centre as an “unlawful association” in February 2019. In September 2023, the Apni Party leader said that the doors of his party were open to anyone, whether from the Hurriyat or JeI, provided they “accept the Constitution of India”. He also advocated lifting of the ban on the JeI.
However, the JeI didn’t respond in kind.
Bukhari’s Jamia Masjid visit has another symbolism. Apart from the mosque, the area around it is the stronghold of the Mirwaiz family and the organisation formed by it, the Awami Action Committee. There is a long history of acrimony between the National Conference (NC) and Awami Action Committee.
The NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are seen as the most strongly placed of the mainstream parties contesting the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.
However, not many expect Bukhari’s visit to yield him much political dividend. “Generally, the residents of downtown are seen as anti-NC, but even the PDP has not been able to get a foothold there,” a political leader pointed out.
The leader said that Bukhari’s bid to fill “the anti-NC vacuum” was also “immature” and may not go down well with Mirwaiz’s sympathisers. “His showcasing of the visit to Jamia Masjid as ‘conquering’ the separatist bastion may not resonate with the people living there.”
Incidentally, Umar Farooq, who is the chief priest of the Jamia Masjid, has largely remained under house arrest since the August 2019 scrapping of J&K’s special status, and has been allowed only a couple of times in nearly five years to conduct his usual Friday prayers. This also remains a major point of contention for his followers.
The Apni Party is contesting from two of the three Valley seats – Srinagar and Anantnag – and has announced support to People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone in Baramulla.
In Srinagar, its senior leader Mohammad Ashraf Mir is up against the NC’s Aga Ruhullah, an influential Shia cleric, and popular PDP youth leader Waheed ur Rehman Para. Mir was a minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP government, and later joined Bukhari.
The Anantnag candidate of the Apni Party is Zafar Iqbal Manhas, a Pahari leader. He was also a PDP leader before joining Bukhari. The NC candidate from the seat, Mian Altaf, is a prominent Gujjar leader.
For the Apni Party, the parliamentary elections are its first major political exercise. Before this, it has only contested the District Development Council (DDC) polls, held soon after its formation, in which it won 12 seats out of 280. However, it managed to take control of Srinagar and Shopian DDCs with the support of Independents.
A PDP leader and former minister said Bukhari’s Jamia Masjid visit showed his “desperation”: “He is no longer the only favourite of the BJP in the Valley and the BJP too has started to doubt his potential as a political leader. If he fails to make a mark in the elections, the BJP would look for other alternatives and that could lead to his and his party’s political death.”
A senior NC leader said the same, adding: “Bukhari has showcased himself in Delhi as someone who can challenge the traditional political parties of the Valley. But he has seen his efforts get nowhere… People are seeing through his moves.”
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