In March, Drabu was dropped from Mehbooba-led J&K cabinet following his controversial remark that Kashmir ‘isn’t a political issue’.
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir finance minister and senior PDP leader, Haseeb Drabu, who was dropped from the state cabinet over a controversial remark, has been brought back into the party’s highest decision making body — political affairs committee (PAC).
In March this year, Drabu was in the eye of a storm after his remark at a function in Delhi that Kashmir “isn’t a political issue”. The comment had earned him the ire of the PDP, which was then ruling J&K in alliance with BJP, the opposition, separatists as well trade bodies.
Drabu’s re-induction into the PAC was taken by party chief and former CM Mehbooba Mufti Friday. Drabu, known to be the architect of PDP-BJP alliance that ruled the state until BJP withdrew support to the coalition government in June, was a close aide of Mehbooba’s father and former chief minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
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However, Mehbooba and Drabu were at loggerheads on different issues, which finally led to his exit from the cabinet.
As reported by ThePrint earlier, there was a buzz within the PDP that while the late Mufti liked him, Mehbooba never trusted him completely.
Now, with his return to the PAC, Drabu is likely to play an important role in the decision making process ahead of panchayat and urban local body elections, as well as other strategic moves by the party.
According to sources, BJP’s withdrawal of support to the Mehbooba Mufti-led government is also a reason behind Drabu’s return to the party fold.
Following this political crisis, Mehbooba has tried to contain “unrest” within her party by revamping its organisational structure and by keeping her family out of party affairs, say political observers.
Also read: Haseeb Drabu: Mufti Sayeed’s close confidant who didn’t have Mehbooba’s trust
Soon after the BJP pulled out of the alliance and Mehbooba had to resign as J&K chief minister, PDP members, including MLAs Javaid Baig, Imran Ansari, Abdul Majeed Paddar, Mohammad Abbaas Wani and Abid Ansari, as well as MLCs Yasir Reshi and Saifuddin Bhat had alleged that the PDP was run exclusively by her family.
Since then, Mehbooba has sidelined her closest confidants, including brother Tassaduq Hussain Mufti and two uncles — Sartaj Madni and Farooq Andrabi.
PDP insiders say it was Drabu who had convinced Mufti Sayeed to join hands with the BJP while many leaders considered it “political suicide” to enter into an alliance with an ideologically opposite group like BJP.
As and when the next Assembly election is held, the NC and the Congress will return to power. Ms Mehboobaji has a long road ahead, rebuilding her party. It would have been good for Kashmir and the country if the PDP – BJP experiment had succeeded.