Bilal Bhat
srinagar 10 April 2025: After years of silence and simmering disappointment, the people of Kashmir are beginning to speak again—this time with a firm, unforgiving voice directed at the National Conference, a party once revered as the custodian of Kashmiri aspirations.
Since 2019, when uncertainty gripped the Valley following the abrogation of Article 370, many had looked to NC as the force that would rise, reclaim dignity, and shield the people from alienation.
But what followed was not a resurrection—it was a retreat.
Dr. Sanjay Parva, political analyst and author who contested from Beerwah in 2024, minced no words as he reflected on the NC’s fall from grace.
“They failed miserably to convert political dominance into people-centric governance,” he said. “Their decades-long rule operated on a feudal template, not a democratic one.”
Parva’s sentiments echo a broader disillusionment among Kashmiris who see the NC’s leadership as disconnected, dynastic, and dangerously stagnant.
“The leadership continued to talk about martyrdom while the youth demanded jobs and dignity. NC’s language never evolved,” he added, lamenting that a party with historical resonance could not even maintain relevance among the Valley’s restless youth.
Netizens too have begun voicing outrage, calling the government a complete failure in addressing local issues. A journalist Firdous Mir could be seen showing his dismay by commenting on a post as “It was better in LG rule now only confusion.”
Online, netizens are blunt. “The LG administration, for all its flaws, gave results. NC gave press releases.” Another user posted: “This isn’t the party of Sheikh Abdullah — this is a shadow of sycophancy and survival.”
“The National Conference has completely abandoned its original political vision. A party that once claimed to represent Kashmir’s identity is now reduced to lobbying for bureaucratic favours. While people suffer in silence, NC is more concerned with transfers than transformation. They’ve surrendered on every front—from autonomy to accountability.”
— Waheed Para, in conversation with Awami Reporter said.
Pointing to NC’s U-turn on promises of autonomy and justice. PDP leader Waheed Para summed up the prevailing mood: “NC has taken a complete U-turn from their promises. They’re no longer the voice of the people—they’ve become managers of silence.”
Even within intellectual circles, the criticism is cutting. Political commentator BR Rahman, while speaking to this correspondent, pointed out, “The LG administration, with all its flaws, still managed to deliver. You could feel something was happening on the ground—roads, schemes, a sense of outreach. With NC, it’s a club of thugs and brokers. A common man stands no chance of being heard.”
Residents of Srinagar and rural belts alike feel betrayed. What once was a political force intertwined with Kashmiri identity is now viewed as a relic living in privilege, while the streets seethe with unemployment, broken promises, and neglected voices. “They’ve commodified our pain,” said a senior teacher from Anantnag. “They turned our trauma into speeches, but never into policies.”
The disillusionment isn’t abstract—it’s deeply personal. Dr. Sanjay Parva reflected, “I am a Kashmiri whose identity was scarred. NC didn’t just betray politically—they betrayed us spiritually. They abandoned their ideological roots and institutionalized corruption.”
The gap between promise and performance has become a chasm. Instead of empowering people, NC hoarded political capital. Institutions were never built, dissent never nurtured. And in that vacuum, the people found strange comfort in the Raj Bhavan’s top-down governance—a bitter irony for a region that once fought for decentralization.
“You are not orphaned,” Dr. Parva told Kashmiri youth in closing. “You are awakening. Let your pain become purpose.”
For a party that once symbolized hope, the National Conference now finds itself on trial—not in the courts, but in the hearts of those who once stood with it. And in that quiet courtroom of public memory, the verdict is resoundingly clear: betrayal.
