This opinion is a result of frustration over the current dispensation in J&K UT. Prior to legislative assembly elections held last year, all regional and national parties put their hat in the ring. Sweet, pro-poor, and ultimately pro-public manifestos were published by all the parties. National conferences (NC’s) manifesto stood out first, and people voted them to power. After 8 months of rule, this dispensation is failing and falling. The NC’s stalwart and presently the member of Parliament, Agha Ruhullah, is equally frustrated with this dispensation as I am and almost all in J&K. In the ever-shifting political sands of Jammu and Kashmir, the last eight months of NC’s governance in the J&K UT have unfolded more as a spectacle of ceremony than substance. One would have hoped that after years of turmoil, administrative vacuum, and disconnected governance, the return of a regional party with deep historical roots would bring with it a renewed sense of direction. But what has instead followed is a disheartening parade of official meetings, photo-ops, social media presence, and protocol management—without a single transformational achievement to point to on any major front: economic, environmental, educational, or developmental. From day one, the NC leadership has appeared more focused on symbolic assertion of authority than actual delivery of services or vision. The focus has been on reclaiming protocol spaces, hosting receptions, traveling in motorcades, and posing for cameras—while the people of J&K, especially the youth, continue to grapple with unemployment, academic stagnation, and environmental degradation. Take, for instance, the hollow promises on economic revival. Despite the region’s fragile economy, no significant investments, industrial policies, or skill development initiatives have been announced. There is no clarity on how the government intends to handle the UT’s fiscal dependency on the Centre. Moreover, the critical sectors like tourism, horticulture, and handicrafts—often touted as the backbone of the local economy—have seen no strategic policy revival. Instead of targeted economic interventions, the NC administration has been busy organizing celebratory festivals and photo-centric initiatives that appear more like public relations stunts than genuine economic support. Environmental degradation in J&K has become a ticking time bomb, yet the ruling dispensation’s response remains apathetic. From the vanishing wetlands of Kashmir to the alarming rise in landslides along the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway, the ecological warning signs are all around us. Wular Lake continues to shrink. Karewas are still being razed for brick kilns and highways. The Dal is gasping under the weight of untreated sewage. And while climate-related challenges threaten traditional crops like saffron and apples, not a single high-level strategy, let alone execution, has emerged from the corridors of power. What does emerge, frequently and shamelessly, are group photos in front of shikaras and sound bites about preserving natural heritage—without a coherent policy, budget allocation, or institutional mechanism in place. When citizens look for leadership in crisis, all they get to say is wait “We are not here for six months.” When it comes to infrastructure and development, the less said, the better. From delayed rural development to failed solid waste management projects, the NC-led administration seems to be caught in inertia. Major towns suffer from drainage failures with each rainfall. The fourth year component of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) is collapsing due to lack of infrastructure and faculty. Government Degree Colleges are ill-prepared to handle research and internships. Instead of investing in strengthening local institutions, the administration seems focused on seminars and workshops—leaving thousands of students in confusion and despair.
“Today’s youth seek more than slogans – they want jobs, education, justice, and a better environment. The party must move past nostalgia to avoid fading into irrelevance amidst J&K’s ongoing struggle for respect. Neglecting the manifesto, it may prioritize raising MLA salaries to five lakh INR, neglecting dailywagers and contractual employees. The government prioritizes reinstating power and protocols rather than fulfilling promises.”
What exactly has changed in these eight months? Other than who sits on the chair and who gets invited to cut the ribbons? Education, often dubbed the backbone of a progressive society, is in dire straits. Teachers remain underpaid and overburdened, schools lack basic infrastructure, and the curriculum remains outdated. NEP implementation is an ongoing chaos with no localized adaptation plan. Worse still, the plight of contractual teachers—many of whom have served for over a decade—remains unaddressed. Despite NC’s past promises to regularize services and create transparent hiring policies, their plight has been met with silence and indifference.No new scholarships. No research grants. No faculty development initiatives. Just press releases. Youth unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir is among the highest in the country, and yet the government has failed to announce any coherent policy on job creation. There is no roadmap for boosting entrepreneurship, no startup incubation hubs in districts, and no large-scale training programs that prepare youth for emerging sectors like AI, green energy, or remote healthcare. Vacant government posts remain unfilled. Delayed recruitment processes and sudden cancellations have disillusioned aspirants. Is it too much to ask for an employment summit, or even a district-wise audit of job opportunities?Apparently yes—because that would require less pomp and more planning. The promise of “grassroots democracy” has become a convenient slogan, even as Panchayat leaders cry hoarse about being disempowered. The gap between power and people remains wide, bridged occasionally only through orchestrated town-hall meetings and choreographed grievance redressal camps.
So What Was The Point? If eight months of NC rule in J&K UT were meant to showcase how a regional party can bring governance closer to people, they have sorely failed. This wasn’t a test of survival. It was an opportunity to rebuild public trust, revive local economy, restore the environment, and prioritize education and employment. Instead, we have been served a cocktail of symbolism, silence, and self-promotion. No major reforms. No legislative vigor. No economic stimulus. No environmental safeguards. No social justice programs. Just the reassertion of political privilege. If governance were judged by the number of events attended, speeches given, and photos clicked, this administration would score high. But if judged by tangible change, vision, and courage to confront entrenched challenges, it fails miserably. Governance is not about reclaiming the chair—it is about repurposing it for the people. Jammu and Kashmir does not need more ceremonial administrators. It needs transformative leaders who can think long-term, act decisively, and listen deeply. The NC must understand that this is not the 1990s. Today’s youth are not satisfied with slogans. They demand jobs, education, environment, and justice. If the party cannot evolve beyond nostalgia and protocol, it risks being remembered not as a savior of regional identity, but as a footnote in J&K’s continuing struggle for dignity and direction. In the end, the manifesto was planned, published but pushed aside. No one should be surprised if the present dispensation increases monthly salary of MLA’ s to five lakh INR and sleeps over dailywagers, need based, and other contractual employees. Because the government has succeeded in restoring their chair, protocols, and fun—that seems was their ultimate goal.
(The author a teacher and a researcher based in Gowhar Pora Chadoora is also Advisor at The Nature University Kashmir. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
Dr. Ashraf Zainabi
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