Mehbooba Mufti's youth pivot: Can ‘Kaath Ba’ath’ reset PDP’s politics?

Srinagar: In a political landscape reshaped after Article 370, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti appears to be quietly recalibrating her politics—placing youth distress and everyday concerns at the centre of her outreach.

Her recent “Kath Ba’ath”(let us talk) interaction in central Kashmir’s Budgam district is part of a broader effort over the past year to reconnect with young people through direct, small-group conversations rather than traditional rallies. The format itself marks a shift: less rhetoric, more listening.

At the Budgam event, Mufti flagged what she described as growing “youth distress,” linking it to unemployment, drug abuse, and a pervasive sense of uncertainty. The emphasis was not on immediate solutions but on acknowledging lived realities—an approach that, while modest, signals a change in tone.

Over time, this consistent focus has begun to reshape the PDP’s messaging. Once identified strongly with themes of reconciliation and political dialogue, the party is now foregrounding socio-economic anxieties within Kashmir.

Prof Gul Mohammad Wani, former head at University of Kashmir’s Political Sciences department, sees this as both necessary and strategic.

“Mainstream politics in Kashmir cannot sustain itself on abstract narratives alone anymore. There is a generational shift, and youth concerns—employment, identity, dignity—are central. Mehbooba Mufti seems to be recognising that gap,” he said.

Mufti’s outreach also draws on an older political legacy. She continues to invoke the “healing touch” approach of her father and PDP founder, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, but with a contemporary adaptation—less about conflict management and more about social healing.

Since the mid-1990s, when insurgency and allegations of human rights violations were at their peak, Mufti had cultivated an image as an accessible and interventionist leader.

She was often seen visiting families and, at times, directly engaging with security agencies to seek the release of detained youth—earning her credibility among the young and economically vulnerable.

That legacy, however, is accompanied by political memory. During the 2016 unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen Burhan Wani, her “milk and toffee” remark made in response to attacks on security installations by angry youth triggered sharp criticism and continues to be invoked by opponents.

At the time, the comment was widely perceived as insensitive amid heightened public anger. Mufti has since indicated that it reflected a mother’s concern for young people being drawn into violence, suggesting it was intended more as a cautionary appeal than a dismissal of their grievances.

That tension, between past perception and present outreach, frames her current political moment.

PDP leader Zuhaib Mir argues that initiatives like “Kath Ba’ath” are designed precisely to bridge that gap.

"‘Kath Ba’ath’ is impactful because it focuses on real, grassroots interaction. In the Srinagar programme earlier this year, we saw young people speak openly about unemployment, stress, and uncertainty. The effort is to connect directly and listen," he told DH.

In Kashmir, where there is deep social pain, that matters, he said. While the broader ‘Kashmir issue’ dominates political discourse, ‘Kath Ba’ath’ shifts attention to the everyday challenges—the real issues in Kashmir.

It is a genuine attempt to understand and care, Mir added.

Whether this recalibration stems from conviction or compulsion remains open to debate. The PDP’s diminished political space and the emergence of new actors have made traditional narratives less effective, especially among first-time voters.

Yet, even sceptics acknowledge that the shift has merit. In a region where politics often feels distant, the act of listening itself can carry meaning.

For now, “Kath Ba’ath” reflects a quieter political experiment—one that seeks to move from assertion to engagement. Whether it can translate into renewed trust, however, will depend on how far listening is followed by delivery.