SCROLL, SPEAK, SPIN: Transformation of political spokespersons in Kashmir

Srinagar, Oct 4: From the language of ideology to the grammar of virality, spokespersons of Kashmir-based political parties have etched their presence on the region’s political landscape.

While the dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist spokespersons of political parties could quote historical treaties, anticipate political maneuvers, and craft arguments with a precision that made everyone take note, today’s young and educated spokespersons are social media-savvy and news debates-ready.

Though the words of old guards used to be layered and grounded in principles that survived decades of political turbulence, a new breed of political spokespersons is rewriting the rules of engagement using trending hashtags to their party’s advantage.

Swipe left on history, swipe right on optics.

National Conference (NC) senior leader Sheikh Mustafa Kamal emerged as a firebrand spokesman for the party and would not hesitate to contradict the government even when the NC was in power.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s Naeem Akhtar, by believing in the party founder Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and the PDP’s ideology even more than Mufti Muhammad Sayeed believed in himself and his party, displays what loyalty to party leadership means.

In comparison, the allegiance of today’s young spokespersons often feels situational, but their statements, calibrated for media optics, viral potential, and career preservation, make the new-age voters pause and take note.

In the 1990s, spokespersons of political parties would begin news conferences with references to the July 24, 1952, Delhi Agreement, but the spokespersons of today might begin with a tweetstorm about unemployment statistics.

The new generation of spokespersons of political parties in Kashmir is young, urbane, English-speaking, upper middle class, who have been educated from English-medium schools, colleges, and universities, and can match rhetoric with retweets.

NC’s Imran Nabi and Tahir Syed, and PDP’s Firdous Tak come from a journalistic background, PDP’s Mohit Bhan comes from a marketing background, Apni Party’s Yawar Mir and NC’s Ifra Jan are law graduates, while NC’s Akash Verma and People’s Conference (PC)’s Mubeen Qureshi have engineering backgrounds.

Together with many other youngsters, they are the new voice of Kashmir’s political parties.

These articulate youngsters know how to put across their points and win arguments.

Before joining politics, NC’s J&K spokesman Imran Nabi completed his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism, PDP spokesman Firdous Tak and NC’s Kashmir Province spokesman Tahir Syed worked as journalists in prominent English and Urdu dailies, PDP spokesman Mohit Bhan did his MBA and worked in various Multi-National Companies (MNCs) including Unilever and Louis Vuitton India, Apni Party spokesman Yawar Mir did his LLM from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, NC spokesperson Ifra Jan did her LLM from the prestigious Oxford University, PC spokesman Mubeen Qureshi completed his Aeronautical Engineering from the University of South Wales and worked for 9 years in GE Aerospace in Dubai while NC spokesman Akash Verma did his B Tech in Civil Engineering and then an MBA from Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD).

These spokespersons are not only voicing concerns of their respective parties but also catering to the newer audience through Instagram, X, Facebook, Tiktok, other social media platforms, and television news debates.

However, they have their critics too, who think that while most of these young spokespersons might be cut out for news debates and bring social media traction to their parties, they may not necessarily be ideologically aligned with the parties they represent.

“The political craft that the old guards like a Sheikh Nazir, a Ghulam Rasool Kar, a Ghulam Mohuiddin Karra, or a Saifuddin Soz had is missing among the younger lot,” said a political analyst. “The old guards used to be highly opinionated, knew what spin to give to any event or political development, and also knew how to wade through turbulent waters.”

Talking to Greater Kashmir, NC’s Kashmir Province spokesman Tahir Syed, who has done a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism, said that while he had forayed into politics by joining PDP, his family had a long association with NC, and his maternal grandfather, Moulana Anwar Masoodi, was a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly.

Syed’s colleague in NC and party spokesperson, Ifra Jan, said that she graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and did her LLB from Delhi, following which she pursued her LLM from Oxford University.

Ifra joined the NC while she was pursuing her LLB and is into politics while also practicing law.

PDP spokesman Firdous Tak said that politics over the past 10 to 12 years had changed drastically.

“Previously, only those people ventured into politics who wanted to become MLAs, MLCs, Panchs, and Sarpanchs, but now people with good speaking and writing skills realise that they can chip in differently by drafting policies for the party,” he said.

Tak credited PDP for introducing young blood in politics from the year 1999.

However, he said that the youngsters were not necessarily in politics to make a career.

“We are also here because we are connected to an ideology,” Tak said.

Another PDP spokesman, Mohit Bhan, concurs with Tak.

“In PDP, you will see stalwarts like Naeem Akhtar run the political agenda. Under the guidance of these senior leaders, the younger lot is spearheading the media and communications in PDP,” he said.

Bhan said that while Mehboob Beg is the chief spokesman of the party, he gives space to the youngsters, and this is the reason why they have young spokespersons from diverse backgrounds from Jammu, Chenab Valley, and Kashmir.

Apni Party spokesman Yawar Mir said that youngsters were becoming the new voice of the political parties as they understand the issues of the younger generation better.

He said that there might be examples of how some younger spokespersons might have switched allegiances from one political party to another, but the same was true about the old guards.

PC spokesman Muneeb Qureshi, who joined the party after leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said it was not a case of loyalty or being cut out for a particular party, but the issues.

“Being in the BJP, I realised that the issues from Ramban to the rest of the country are different from issues in Kashmir,” he said. “In the BJP, I realised that the aspirations of the people of Kashmir are undermined.”

Contrary to Qureshi, Akash Verma cut his teeth in politics in the NC Youth Wing.

“After working for the party’s youth organisation, I was elevated to the party’s additional spokesman for J&K,” he said.

Associate Professor at the University of Kashmir (KU)’s Political Science Department, Javid Ahmad Dar, said that the political parties having younger spokespersons was a ploy intended to reach out to the younger English-listening, English-reading audience.

“The political parties have begun to ignore the grassroots and those who speak the vernacular,” he said.

According to Dar, the new political leadership is also swayed by the debate on social media and TV news studios.

“The rooted political workers are being sidelined because they can’t speak the vocabulary that these youngsters can,” he said. “There is a disconnect, and the political leaders patronise and admire this new political communication.”

Dar said that the Left parties had vanished from the Indian political scene due to this approach.

“Their leadership lived in an aura of their own. They lost connection with the Hindi-speaking audience, and then got disconnected and lost their vote bank,” he said. “If the political parties here follow the same trend, they might lose their social base.”

According to Dar, political thinking occurs in the pockets not influenced by the English-speaking and urban audience.

“They understand the political pulse in their own vernacular ways,” he said.

Dar might be wrong, but he could be right too because history is slower than a reel and ideology is heavier than a hashtag.