PDP candidate Waheed Parra’s rare trajectory into politics resonates with young Kashmiris

April 09, 2024 07:12 pm | Updated 07:12 pm IST - PULWAMA

A door-to-door campaign and open-field canvassing by Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, 34-year-old Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Srinagar-Budgam Lok Sabha seat, has kicked off an unusual bustle in the once militancy-dominated pockets of Pulwama, where residents still prefer to stay indoors before sunset due to heightened security measures.

Mr. Parra’s rare trajectory in Kashmir’s politics strikes a chord with many younger voters in the Srinagar-Budgam constituency, which goes to vote on May 13. Mr. Parra was nominated as a Peace Fellow at the Yale International Leadership Centre in 2023 but denied a passport, he spent 19 months in jail, and was disallowed to take oath when elected to the District Development Council (DDC). He was also denied permission to tend to his cancer-stricken father in a hospital outside J&K, with the authorities citing “security reasons”.

His plunge into the election fray was not an easy choice given the fresh offer letter he received in March this year from the Yale International Leadership Centre to join, “in case his impounded passport was restored”.

“Being with people, and representing and supporting them is my first priority. My jail, bail and Yale Fellow is a story of every potential young Kashmiri, and how we are branded as terrorists and anti-nationals, irrespective of our commitment to the cause of the Constitution,” Mr. Parra told The Hindu in an interview.

Mr. Parra, who spent 19 months in jail, was arrested in a militancy-related case by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) three days after he filed his nomination for the DDC election from a Pulwama constituency in November, 2020. He won the election from jail.

Granted bail by a special judge on January 9, 2021, he was again arrested outside the prison by Counter Intelligence Kashmir, a special cell of the J&K Police, on almost identical charges of “having links with militants and separatists”, only to be released on bail in June 2023.

“Jail brought me closer to reality and circumstances on the ground. It gave an idea of the pain and sufferings of the people. Jail was like schooling, and learning of the tragedies of this torn place. My jail term sums up how everything political has a lot of personal cost. Your ideology takes a toll on your own personal life,” Mr. Parra said.

It’s not the alleged “inhuman treatment” meted to him in jail that distresses him the most but rather not being allowed to take oath as a member of the DDC. “I am still fighting a legal battle to be allowed to take oath as a DDC member, which was illegally denied to me till date, despite winning an election and people coming out to vote for me,” Mr. Parra said.

Mr. Parra’s story has a stark resemblance to the allegedly “rigged” elections in Kashmir in 1987, when elected representatives were declared to be defeated candidates. Many such candidates and their supporters turned to militancy, including prominent militant figure Syed Salahuddin and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik. However, Mr. Parra affirms that he believes in the Indian Constitution and democracy for “finding solutions to Kashmir’s problems”. He described the 2024 Lok Sabha election of J&K as a watershed moment.

“This election is about giving voice to people who are silently suffering and there’s a lot of vacuum on the ground. I joined the fray to break the cycle of silence. People must be part of democratic processes and make sure youth and sections that boycotted elections [previously] vote this time. It’s about opening democratic space to people,” Mr. Parra said.

The young PDP leader, considered a close aide of party president Mehbooba Mufti, has four agendas to fulfil if he reaches the Parliament. “I intend to talk truth to power, work on reclaiming the lost glory and rights of the people, and make sure democracy isn’t denied,” Mr. Parra said.

Mr. Parra will take on a strong candidate from the National Conference (NC), which has a significant vote base in the constituency. The NC is yet to nominate a candidate.

Politics in Srinagar has been dominated by separatists for more than three decades and the constituency has often witnessed a boycott. There was mere 14% polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha election due to a call for boycott by separatists.