Over last 30 odd years, Kashmir has seen many highs and lows when looked at from the perspective of the security scenario, infiltrations and militancy on the ground.
I'm not as large hearted as my father.
My father would always say Kashmiris have made so much sacrifice to achieve something more, but we have a constitution, special status and a flag, and our foremost duty is to protect what we have.
You know in democracy you can protest peacefully and I'm sure you know it will have at least some kind of impact. You need to raise your voice. If you can't do much, you know, but at least raise you voice. Raising your voice is something you need to do.
Mufti sahab, apart from being my father, was one of the tallest leaders of the state and the country.
Article 370 is not a separatist slogan.
But when I entered politics, I found that this was the space that could be used for making lives of people better.
You cannot imprison an idea. You have to fight it with a better idea.
Once you start choking the space for dissent in a democracy, people feel pushed to the wall and then it leads to further dissent and alienation.
It is part of our political thinking that democracy is a battle of ideas.
Why is the government of India uncomfortable with Jamaat-e-Islami? It is an organisation that has worked tirelessly for Kashmiris.
Time and again I was asked to arrest Jamaat activists but I put my foot down and refused to cave in.
India is the world's largest democracy and everyone should have a right to voice their opinions.
I strongly feel that there has to be a dialogue process internally as well as externally, with Pakistan.
I am a full-time political worker.
The issue of Kashmir is both political and emotional in nature. Any pragmatic and lasting solution needs India and Pakistan sitting together on a table and discussing a solution that addresses the aspirations of Kashmiris and does not compromise the territorial integrity of either India or Pakistan.
Elections come and go, people win and lose, that is part of politics. It doesn't anyway change things on the ground.
If any party fights the election on the basis of religion, it will not succeed.
Our party's agenda is not only to form a government, but also to facilitate a political process.
My father was not in power when I started my political career, or when I fought my first election in 1996. Starting like any ordinary person, I reached out to people everywhere.
