The “Mufti Model” was not a shiIn an article for Greater Kashmir titled ‘The Mufti Model,’ published on April 23, 2026, Dr. Haseeb A. Drabu provides a compelling retrospective on a defining era of our political history. I hold Dr. Drabu in the highest regard, both for his formidable intellect and his significant contributions to the professional field. However, moving beyond personal admiration, I believe it is essential to revisit this model through a strictly non-partisan lens. My analysis seeks to offer a clear, objective assessment of the realities on the ground, examining the historical consequences that follow when political theory meets the complexity of practice.

A closer look at the ground reality reveals that the turn toward the Mufti model in year 2014 was not merely a political shift, it was a foundational disaster that left Jammu and Kashmir uniquely vulnerable to the constitutional changes of 2019 and the subsequent decade of centralized rule.

To understand what happened in 2019, one must return to the fatal compromise of 2014. Dr. Drabu speaks of statecraft and “managing power asymmetries,” but for the common man, the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was the moment the bridge was sold to the highest bidder. By inviting the BJP into the heart of the state’s executive........

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