Budgam: Winding its way through a verdant landscape in North Kashmir, a long queue of vehicles — tractors, bikes, autos and tempos teeming with people — is being led by a crowd of young people on foot, zealously chanting slogans, singing songs, while holding up posters.
The procession has the attention of countless bystanders, some of whom offer those marching money, packets of chips, a refreshing drink, while others shower them with flower petals.
As the cavalcade proceeds, it swells in size as more people join the throng.
“Jail ka badla vote se… ghar-ghar engineer”, the crowd chants.
This is not a typical political rally led by a popular leader in mainland India, but by 23-year-old Abrar Rashid, son of Sheikh Abdul Rashid or ‘Engineer Rashid’ — a jailed independent candidate contesting in the parliamentary election from North Kashmir, a region plagued by militancy and political dormancy for years.
In a significant shift in Kashmiri politics, there are no longer calls for boycotting elections, secession from India, or violence. Instead, the prevailing sentiment among the youth, especially first-time voters, is of active participation in the democratic process. Their aim: the election of a Kashmiri leader to Parliament, who can be their voice and advocate for the region’s interests and concerns.
The sentiment also echoed in the first phase of elections in J&K’s Srinagar constituency, which saw 39 percent voter turnout — a significant increase from 2019.
The sheer magnitude of the procession induces a sense of unease in Abrar, an M.Sc student who had never been to a political rally before. He never anticipated that his campaign efforts for his father, lodged in Tihar in a case of terror funding, would get such overwhelming support just by use of social media.
He, however, is looking forward to 20 May when Baramulla constituency, which encompasses Kupwara, Bandipora, and Budgam, goes to polls in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
“I’m no politician. I’m a student of M.Sc. My father always kept me away from politics, but now since he is in jail, I had no choice but to come out on the road for him,” he tells ThePrint, waving at the crowd.
For this campaign, he started a Facebook page and asked people to gather.
“I did not imagine so many will turn up. Our group started small and kept growing. I have my exams from 21 May, I hope this goes well,” he says.
Speaking about the sea of people walking ahead of his tempo, he says: “These are first-time voters who have left violence and are now exercising their democratic rights. They have all seen our Facebook posts and have joined us here. These all are youngsters who have started believing in the political process to bring change”.
He didn’t have the Rs 25,000 required to file for his father’s election nomination. But residents of his village Langet and adjoining areas pooled in money to make it happen.
“I don’t know how many people gathered. I did not call anyone or pay anyone like these major parties do. The crowds just came themselves. My father must have done some good work for them that they are coming in such large numbers,” he says.
The Baramulla seat has historically been the bastion of the National Conference. This time, the party is fielding its working president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah as its candidate, supported by the Congress.
This election, however, is likely to be a close contest, with Engineer Rashid, popularly called the “voice of Kashmir”, emerging as a prominent contender, especially among the youngsters.
Rashid’s political career began in 2008 when he quit his job as an engineer with the Jammu and Kashmir government to contest the assembly elections as an independent candidate.
A two-time former MLA from Handwara from Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), Rashid, was arrested in 2019 and charged by the National Investigation Agency under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from the Langate segment in Handwara in 2008 and was re-elected in 2014. He had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the Baramulla constituency but lost to NC’s Mohammad Akbar Lone. While Rashid got 1,02,168 votes in that election, he came third in the race after Lone (1.33 lakh votes) and Raja Aijaz Ali of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (1.03 lakh votes).
The third strong contender in the race is Sajjad Gani Lone from J&K People’s Conference, who was animal husbandry minister in the People’s Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition state government led by Mehbooba Mufti and is getting support from Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party, perceived to be close to the BJP.
‘Pooled in money for posters, refreshment, this is for us’
From mobilising the crowds for rallies to arranging logistics for Rashid’s rally, youngsters from across districts have come together to pool resources.
While some supporters have contributed a part of their salary for fuel, printing of posters, and refreshments, drivers of taxis and tractors have offered their vehicles for roadshows.
“We don’t have any money. All this is not mine,” Abrar said. “We haven’t given these people any money, asked for fuel, vehicles, or posters. All these people have done it on their own. The people are leading this campaign.”
Social media has also played a significant role, with their Facebook page bringing youngsters to the campaign.
“Our motive is to make him (Rashid) win. We are all working together with our own money because we know our leader does not have anything. Rashid is the only one who has spoken about our rights in the past. He is the true voice of Kashmir. Whenever something has happened, he has always been with us,” Danish, a supporter in his 20s says.
Mushtaq Ahmad, a driver, refused to give his Tata Sumo for the rally of the National Conference (NC), also scheduled in the constituency the same day, but put Rs 2,000 worth of fuel in the vehicle he gave for Abrar’s roadshow.
“Parties like NC and PDP have a lot of resources and money to arrange rallies like these and get tents and vehicles for their cavalcade and refreshments for participants. But Abrar has nothing, so we all are helping him. This is for our leader,” Ahmad said.
People have even brought their own posters for the rally. “No two posters will be similar since it’s not the party that has distributed these posters. These have been designed and printed by people on their own, with their own money,” he said.
Among those who pitched in for the rally is Bashir Ahmed, who works for a private company. The money he contributed will be used to ensure there’s adequate drinking water for participants.
“We all walked on empty stomachs. No one has planned this professionally, we all came together to do whatever we could — someone got food, someone pooled money for petrol. Even the daily wage labourers who are part of this rally have given up their day’s wage to come here and show support for Abrar,” he said.
But political observers believe that Rashid’s ideas of separatism, combined with the perception that he’s being targeted for speaking out against the establishment, are making him popular.
There’s a general belief among young people that they would “fight the Indian state through the ballot”, one analyst who didn’t want to be named told ThePrint.
Also Read: Guns give way to ballots in Kashmir — militant hotbeds Tral, Shopian & Pulwama see record voting
‘Speaks about our rights, ending VIP culture’
Many of Rashid’s supporters say that he has always put the interest of Kashmiris first and spoken for the “common man”.
Taking a dig at the mainstream parties NC and PDP, these supporters said that Rashid has never “guzzled the money of Kashmiris” by being corrupt like the “dynast politicians”.
“He has always spoken about the rights of the poor. He himself does not have anything. No big house, car, or a fat bank balance. When the dynasts know nothing about the pain of Kashmiris how can they ever talk about Kashmir?” Asif Mir, one such supporter, said, adding: “Everyone else is a thief”.
Abrar believes that his father has many supporters because of the work he has done for the constituency. From striving for adequate medical facilities to building playgrounds and auditoriums and organising sporting events, his father had a hand in many things, he said.
“As part of development in Langet, each year we ensured that free coaching of arts, medical, and non-medical was given to students. People who needed medical attention were admitted to hospitals and given treatment. Whatever platform he got, he used that to help people,” he said, adding that his father “represents the aspirations of the people”.
Rashid has been seen as a fierce political leader, talking about human rights violations in Kashmir and even taking on security forces. In 2015, he was assaulted in the assembly by BJP MLAs for allegedly throwing a beef party.
Rashid’s journey from a separatist to a legislator started when he launched a civil liberties movement in Mawar — a cluster of remote hamlets in the Kupwara region. He came under the spotlight in 2000, when he stood up against the “begar (forced labour)” system.
According to the NIA, which probed the case for which Rashid was arrested, the leader was a direct recipient of terror funds. In March 2022, NIA special judge Praveen Singh, while passing an order on framing of charges, said that money for terror funding was sent from and by Pakistan and its agencies, and “even the diplomatic mission was used to fulfil the evil design”.
Money for terror funding was also sent by proclaimed international terrorists and accused Hafiz Saeed, the judge said.
In its arguments in court, the NIA said that the money was for funding separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and that the accused had a larger conspiracy for causing disruption in the Valley through stone-pelting, systematically burning down schools, damaging public property and waging war against India.
However, the legal proceedings against him have not diminished his popularity. If anything, they have elevated his status as someone who is being unjustly targeted for speaking for Kashmiris.
“He has always spoken about the common man, poor, and Kashmiris. He has spent his life for the truth, he has been fighting against VIP culture, he never got privileges. He always used to go around as a common man,” Ahmed, quoted above, said.
‘Soft separatism, sympathy, support just an outlet’
Political observers believe that it’s the perception that Rashid is facing repercussions for speaking the truth to power that may garner a good number of votes.
One analyst told ThePrint that Rashid’s policies and ideas revolved around separatism, which is why he has the support of anti-BJP and anti-establishment youngsters.
“These are all youngsters who were sitting quietly due to the fear of either the Army or police but now that Rashid, who is in jail, is contesting, they have found an outlet to vent against the establishment. They want to ensure that a candidate who is anti-establishment wins,” the analyst said.
A second analyst said that since Rashid is in jail, he may get a lot of “sympathy votes” because of the perceived persecution by the Indian state.
“Anybody who is seen as being persecuted by the Indian state becomes a hero by default in Kashmir. That is what has happened with Rashid as well. He is seen as someone who has been suppressed by the draconian state, irrespective of his involvement. If he was not in jail, he would not have garnered so much support,” he said, adding that it was only after his arrest in 2019 that he became popular.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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