Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

The Legislative Assembly elections will be remembered for Zahir and Zamir, sons of National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah and his estranged wife Payal Nath, making their presence as the fourth generation of the Abdullah family felt on J&K’s political scene.

As their father and grandfather Farooq Abdullah led the campaign for the National Conference, a party founded by their great-grandfather both the Delhi-based lawyers joined the campaign and canvassed votes for their “Bade Dadu’s party.”

The Abdullah family has dominated the political scene through the major part of the 20th century. Though it’s clear that the Abdullah brothers – who are the only heir to the empire of the first family of Kashmir – would try to dabble in politics, right now they are practicing lawyers in Delhi.

Zamir and Zahir with NC activist Sarah Hayat Shah in Srinagar

Zamir and Zahir made their first appearance on the scene as they accompanied Omar Abdullah to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar where the NC candidate for Lok Sabha polls Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi was to file his nomination papers.

A week later,  Zamir and Zahir joined the election campaign of their father in Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency that went to the polls on May 20.  Omar Abdullah lost to the two-time MLA Abdul Rashid Sheikh aka Er Rashid.

The duo also appeared in the Ganderbal constituency where Omar was during the election campaign in the second phase of the Assembly elections. Ganderbal has been the home ground of the Abdullah family, represented by the three generations - Sheikh Mohammad Mohammad, Farooq Abdullah, and Omar Abdullah. The Abdullahs have always held the seat and lost only once in 2002.

The Abdullah sons also appeared in Jammu as they joined the road show of NC candidate, Ajay Sadhotra on the day he filed his papers as NC candidate. Atop a decorated vehicle and wearing garlands, along with Ajay Sadhotra they waved to the people and shook hands.

Interestingly, Omar and Payal have been separated and are locked in a legal battle over Omar seeking a divorce. The court has so far refused to grant him a divorce. Recently the Supreme Court asked the couple to join the mediation sessions.

Zamir and Zahir are in their late twenties. Both have graduated from a reputed private university in Sonepat, Haryana and later obtained a law degree from a UK college. They extensively joined their father on his campaign trail in North Kashmir. “We love to connect with the people and we enjoy it…. We wish to serve the people and address their problems”, said Zamir while speaking to journalists.

The Abdullahs flaunting their finger marks after voting

Zahir added that they inherited politics and connected with the people saying “We wish to serve the people.” Both of them even promised to visit the constituency every month to follow up on the public’s demands for development.

When journalists asked Omar if he was grooming his sons into politics, he said that had joined while taking a break from their court work.

Omar and Payal’s sons are the sole inheritors of the family’s property and legacy. Omar’s other two uncles - late Tariq Abdullah and Dr Mustafa Kamal - did not marry and have no children.

The NC was formed by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah as the J&K Muslim Conference in 1932 and later rechristened as J&KNC. In 1982, when he was ailing, his doctor son Farooq Abdullah returned from London with his family to take charge of his legacy though Sheikh’s son-in-law G M Shah was seen as a natural successor to him.

As Farooq Abdullah was appointed chief minister after his father's death, it led to a rift in the family. Shah later took revenge by toppling Farooq Abdullah’s government and becoming chief minister with the support of Congress for a few years.

NC candidate Salman Sagar standing behind Farooq Abdullah and his father Ali Mohd Sagar

Omar Abdullah fought in the 1996 State elections to join politics. He became a Minister of State in the Vajpayee cabinet at the center and later a Chief Minister.

However, to be fair to the Abdullahs, Zamir and Zahir are not the only scions of political families in the electoral scene of Kashmir. Iltija Mufti is the third generation of the Mufti clan; both her mother and maternal grandfather, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed have served as Chief Ministers.

The NC leaders’ next-gen politicians include Mian Mehar Ali, son of MP Mian Altaf Ahmad from Kangan (fourth gen); Salman Sagar, son of NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, and Hilal Akbar Lone, son of former Speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone.

Yawar Mir, son of Muhammad Dilawar Mir of Apni Party, has been MLA from Rafiabad; Sajad Gani Lone, son of Abdul Gani Lone, and Imran Ansari, son of Shia cleric Moulvi Iftikhar Ansari, are also contenders.

Nasir Aslam Wani, son of the late Bashir Ahmad Wani, and Ahsan Pardesi, son of Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, are contesting on NC tickets. Tanvir Sadiq, son of a former MLA, Sadiq Ali, and Irshad Rasool Kar, son of former Congress leader Ghulam Rasool Kar, are also among the candidates.

Sajad Shafi, son of NC leader Muhammad Shafi from Uri, is contesting from the home constituency. Tariq Hameed Karra, JK PCC President, continuing the legacy of Ghulam Mohuiddin Karra, and Rafi Ahmad Mir,  son of Ghulam Ahmad Mir, are also in the fray. 

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Interestingly BJP is by and large free from this trend. Other than Devinder Rana brother of Union Minister Jitendra Singh no second-generation leader is contesting from the party. Rana too has been elected to the Assembly as a member of the National Conference.