Symbolic Reunion: Baig Rekindles Ties with PDP at Party Founder’s Mausoleum
Following the abrogation of Article 370 and Mehbooba Mufti’s 15-month detention, several former MLAs and Ministers, including Baig, departed the party
Former parliamentarian Muzaffar Hussain Baig and his wife, Safina Beigh, re-joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the seventh death anniversary of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday.
Before honouring the late Mufti, Baig remarked that no one had left the PDP during those years; there were merely some misunderstandings.
Speaking at Mufti’s graveside, Baig praised him as one of the greatest leaders in the country.
In her address, Mufti’s daughter and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti stated that her party is committed to establishing genuine peace in the region, emphasizing that it seeks not a peace confined to graveyards, but one rooted in reality.
“Our goal is for Kashmiris to walk with dignity,” she said. “I call upon New Delhi: in the North East, you negotiate with militants, but in Jammu and Kashmir, you’ve turned ordinary people into militants. You’ve filled jails, and conducted NIA and ED raids, displaying such an attitude toward your people.”
“We refuse to surrender, yet we won’t raise a white flag either. Our aim is to live with dignity. We won’t tolerate human rights abuses,” Mehbooba said.
In the previous Assembly, the PDP was the largest party in Jammu and Kashmir, boasting 28 MLAs. However, following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and Mehbooba Mufti’s 15-month detention, several former MLAs and Ministers, including Baig, departed the party.
Some formed a separate entity known as the Apni Party. The exodus from the PDP commenced in March 2020, with senior leaders and former ministers like Chaudhary Zulfikar, Ashraf Mir, Dilwar Mir, Rafi Mir, and others joining the Altaf Bukhari-led Apni Party.
Bukhari had previously served as Finance Minister in the PDP-BJP government.
In March 2020, Apni Party leaders met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah hinted that they represented new players in Jammu and Kashmir.
Baig, 77, had been affiliated with the PDP since 1998 but disassociated himself after the abrogation of Article 370. In January 2020, six months after the abrogation, Baig was awarded the Padma Bhushan while most PDP leaders were detained.
In November 2019, Baig was among three Valley-based politicians, including Altaf Bukhari and Usman Majid, who met with members of a European delegation, primarily comprising far-right party members, in Delhi before they visited Kashmir.
Baig subsequently proposed that political parties in Kashmir set aside their differences and collectively address Jammu and Kashmir’s concerns with the Centre.
He advocates for political parties to secure assurances regarding statehood and to push for bringing Jammu and Kashmir under the purview of Article 371.
