Haseeb Drabu, 52, and Zafar Meraj, 62, would have been unlikely Kashmiri politicians a generation ago, this being a state where politics has been the domain either of entrenched political families or separatist ideologues. Drabu is a former J&K Bank chairman, an ex-ADB economist who served as economic adviser to the PDP government. Hes making his electoral debut as PDP candidate from Rajpora. Meraj, a firebrand journalist, worked for a popular news magazine, and now runs his own newspaper. He too is a first-time contestant from Habba Kadal on a PDP ticket. Both believe that just as middle-class professionals elsewhere now see politics as a way to bring about change, its time educated and honest professionals joined politics in Kashmir. Team Drabu consists of 20-member village committees, five-member booth committees, data analysts and six core team members, all of them connected via SMS groups. Drabus economic vision for Kashmir is import substitution, bringing back the missing multiplier into the economy, attracting local investment. He hopes to create constituency cards thatll help his constituents get a basket of facilities. Meraj was once kidnapped at gunpoint, shot five times and left for dead. He got himself to hospital and was flown to Delhi for multiple surgeries. Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims have lived together for generations. When I sent my son Shameem to Delhi, he lived with a vegetarian Pandit family for seven years. Thats why I oppose BJPs divisive agenda.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 08:09:57 +0000
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