If Kashmir is India’s most complex faultline, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah represents one of its most fascinating faces.
Heir to a political legacy like few others anywhere in the world.
Man, and leader, with a chequered history of hope and idealism, missteps and courage, failure and fractures.
In Listening to the Stones, Omar took on the complex reality of Kashmir through an intimate conversation about his own journey what he tried, how he failed, and why tackling “the Kashmir issue” is so bewildering.
Kashmir is not a conversation for one evening, with one man. But as its former chief, Omar spoke with rare honesty about his time in the hot seat, its challenges and learnings, and what he would have done differently if he were to live through his time as Chief Minister again.
Most memorably, asked what is the one quality needed to be a leader in Kashmir, he said: “empathy”.
We continued the Kashmir conversation a few weeks after this conversation with Omar when we brought in former RAW chief A S Dulat, former chancellor of the Islamic University of Srinagar Siddiq Wahid and student-activist Fahad Shah to offer insights into why Kashmir is burning again. Together, both sessions offer perspective not often heard on television debates or within the rigid framework of national interest, and we’d urge you to watch both in their entirety.
Omar Abdullah talks about Pakistan, Burhan Wani and the lessons he learnt while in power with Shoma Chaudhury at Algebra, The Arts & Ideas Club, Gurgaon on 26 November 2016. Omar Abdullah firmly believes that the problem in Jammu and Kashmir is a political problem and that it should be resolved through talks. While talking about Burhan Wani, Abdullah says that Burhan Wani was never seen as a serious threat when he was alive and that the media is majorly responsible for his post death popularity. Omar Abdullah is the President of the National Conference Party and the leader of opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly. He joined politics in 1998 and became the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 2009.
Watch the full session above.
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