Srinagar: A call for political unity in Jammu and Kashmir devolved into a public spat on Tuesday after PDP president Mehbooba Mufti claimed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah ignored her meeting requests, a charge Abdullah swiftly denied and accused her of misrepresenting facts to score political points.
In a letter posted on social media addressed to the chief minister and leaders across the political spectrum, including the BJP, Mehbooba urged Jammu and Kashmir’s fractured political leadership to take a cue from Ladakh’s recent success and unite to safeguard the region’s special identity and constitutional rights.
However, the call for solidarity was immediately overshadowed by a war of words over political etiquette.
In her letter, Mehbooba claimed she was forced to write publicly because she had sought an appointment with Abdullah, but “due to his preoccupation, it has not been possible.”
“Therefore, I am taking the liberty of writing to you since time is running out and we cannot afford to delay things any further,” the former chief minister said.
Abdullah hit back swiftly, accusing the PDP chief of misrepresenting facts to score political points.
“Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba, we spoke on Saturday when you asked to meet. I told you I was in Pahalgam on Sunday and would get in touch on Monday or Tuesday to fix to meet.
“Your letter gives the impression that I’ve kept you waiting for an appointment for weeks on end, which is clearly not the case. Be that as it may, your letter to me is now in the public domain,” he said in a post on X.
The chief minister added that he would formally respond to her proposal only after consulting senior leaders of his National Conference (NC) party and route it “similarly”, an indication that he will post his reply on social media only.
Senior NC leaders alleged that Mehbooba was deliberately attempting to misrepresent the facts only to score political points.
Mehbooba’s unity call comes after the recent breakthroughs achieved by Ladakh’s Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance in their negotiations with the Centre.
Arguing that “only dialogue can deliver meaningful outcomes”, she said Jammu and Kashmir finds itself at a historical crossroads gripped by “despair and disillusionment.”
“Given the fact that disagreements and squabbling between regional parties have been detrimental to the collective interests of Jammu and Kashmir, a reasonable consensus especially post-2019 is the only solution. If Ladakh could do it, so can we,” she wrote.
Mehbooba emphasised that the chief minister’s backing is a prerequisite for the success of this proposed political platform and urged Abdullah, as the head of the state, to set the ball rolling by convening an official meeting of all stakeholders to forge a united outreach to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Reiterating that the initiative should not become a matter of “appropriating political credit or point-scoring”, she pleaded with leaders to put contrarian views on the back-burner.
Reflecting her push for an all-inclusive front, Mehbooba sent identical letters to a diverse group of political and civil society leaders, including BJP’s Sunil Sharma (Leader of Opposition in J&K), Tariq Hameed Karra (JKPCC president), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (CPI-M leader), Sajad Gani Lone (People’s Conference chairman), Engineer Rashid (member of Parliament) and Sanjay Tickoo (Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti president).
