Srinagar, May 28, KNT: The People’s Democratic Party is facing mounting criticism for welcoming back several senior leaders who had deserted the party during its most critical phase following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. At that time, the PDP saw a mass exodus of leaders, with only a handful staying loyal amid intense political uncertainty and pressure.
Insiders told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that despite earlier resistance from party president Mehbooba Mufti, who was reportedly reluctant to allow defectors back into the fold, the PDP has now shifted its stance. In recent past, a series of political figures who had once left the party have been re-inducted, raising serious questions about the party’s principles and internal consistency.
The most recent to rejoin include Ajaz Ahmed, a former legislator, who was welcomed back yesterday, followed by Sheikh Noor Muhammad, former legislator from Batamaloo, who was received today. These re-inductions are not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern that has emerged over the past year.
Among others who have rejoined the party are Syed Basharat Bukhari, a former minister who had left for the National Conference and later joined the People’s Conference, and Choudhary Qamar Hussain, former Rajouri MLA. Mansoor Hussain Suharwardy also rejoined the PDP in March 2025. Before deserting the party, he was considered a close confidant of Mehbooba Mufti.
Sources within the party suggest that many of these leaders had approached PDP’s top brass over the past several months, seeking re-entry. Initially, there was stiff opposition, especially from Mehbooba Mufti, who questioned their loyalty. However, the mood has since changed, and the party now appears eager to broaden its base in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources added that the PDP’s decision to embrace deserters betrays the commitment of those who stayed when the party was politically isolated and struggling. “It’s a slap in the face for the loyalists,” said a senior PDP worker on condition of anonymity. “When the party needed them most, they walked away. Now they are being welcomed like nothing happened.”
Sources said that more deserters will rejoin the party in the coming months.
As the PDP continues to reassemble its fractured house, political observers say the party must now confront the challenge of managing trust, credibility, and internal unity. The party continues to face widespread criticism for its 2014 alliance with the BJP, an alliance many view as a betrayal of its core support base. This decision is widely seen as a key reason behind the party’s recent defeat in South Kashmir, a region once considered a stronghold of the PDP. [KNT]
