Sheikh Abdullah was the leader of the National Conference and one of the most important political figures in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. He was the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir State after its provisional accession to India in 1947, and was later jailed and exiled. He again became the Chief Minister of the state following the 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord and remained in the top slot till his death on September 8, 1982.
Background
Sheikh Abdullah was born in Soura, a village on the outskirts of Srinagar, eleven days after the death of his father Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim, a middle class manufacturer and trader of Kashmir shawls. Sheikh Ibrahim was the descendant of a Hindu Kashmiri Pandit named Ragho Ram Koul who was converted to Islam in 1890 by the saint Rashid Balkhi and after conversion changed his name to Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah. Thus Sheikh Abdullah was the namesake of the progenitor of his family branch. According to Sheikh Abdullah, his step brother mistreated his mother and his early childhood was marked by utter poverty. His mother was keen that her children should receive proper education and so as a child he was first admitted to a traditional school or Maktab where he learnt the recitation of the Koran and some basic Persian texts like Gulistan of Sa'di, Bostan, Padshanama, etc. Then in 1911 he was admitted to a primary school where he studied for about two years. His elder step brothers then stopped his further education and he was first set to work in the family workshop embroidering shawls and later asked to sit on a grocers shop as a sales boy. However, their family barber Mohammed Ramzan prevailed upon his uncle to send him back to school. He had to walk the distance of ten miles to school and back on foot but in his own words the joy of being allowed to obtain a school education made it seem a light work.
Education
As a student at Aligarh Muslim University, he came in contact with and was influenced by persons with liberal and progressive ideas. He became convinced that the feudal system was responsible for the miseries of the Kashmiris and like all progressive nations of the world Kashmir too should have a democratically elected government.
Career
Abdullah began to become socially aware of Kashmir's socio-political condition, when he was a student at the Aligarh Muslim University. He was convinced that feudalism was the main cause of a desolate state of affairs and believed that Kashmir must adopt a different system of governance. He was in favor of a democratic governing body that provided equal rights to its people. Abdullah was deeply influenced by Molvi Abdullah's political views. On 16th October 1932, Kashmir's first political party: the Muslim Conference was formed and Sheikh Abdullah was nominated as the President. In his first presidential speech, he stated that the party was essentially formed to work for the rights of all oppressed sections of society, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Abdullah also made it clear that this party was not just a communal party but it also worked for justice of the backward castes prevalent in the society. It was not until 1933, that the Muslim Conference decided to change the name of the party, in order not to sound representative of the Muslim community. In March, a nine member team was formed to establish relationships with other non-Muslim parties for a political alliance. Abdullah extensively campaigned for this change with the help of Jawaharlal Nehru. Finally, in 1939 the Muslim Conference became the National Conference, with the support of Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas of Jammu. Meanwhile, due to a political demonstration against the sovereign rule in Kashmir, the Maharaja had appointed a grievance commission to look into matters. With the help of the Muslim Conference, it was decided that a Legislatively Assembly must be formed. In 1934, the Praja Sabha was created that became the first step towards democratic rule in Kashmir. Despite its formation, the Maharaja controlled the Assembly and believed in monarchy. Four years later, the leaders of the Muslim Conference began to protest. Abdullah and other party leaders presented their demands, which were flatly refused by their King. Demonstrations were carried out against Maharaja Hari Singh, which in turn united people from Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and other communities, to oppose an autocratic rule. Although the protest failed to make any major changes, the Muslim Conference succeeded in changing their party name. As the sovereign rule in Kashmir continued, Abdullah initiated the Quit Kashmir Movement in 1946. He was arrested and sentenced to imprisonment for three years. In September 1947, when the country was in a state of political anarchy, Hari Singh requested Lord Mountbatten to allow Sheikh Abdullah to take over the Government, in the state of emergency. Subsequently, when he took over administration duties, an army was raised to protect against the Pakistan Government In 1948, the UN Security Council intervened and tried to settle issues between the two regions.
On March 17th 1948, Sheikh Abdullah was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Kashmir, under the rule of the Maharaja. He was looked upon as a representative of Nehru. So, when Abdullah visited Pakistan in 1964, he was not welcomed. Five years later, he was dismissed from his position by Maharaja Hari Singh's son, Dr. Karan Singh. This was followed by an 11 year imprisonment for conspiracy against the state. After his release, Abdullah met up with Nehru for further political advice. Based on the latter's advice, he became a negotiator for India and Pakistan. Shortly after Nehru's death in 1964, Abdulla maintained a low political profile and was not very active between 1965 and 1968. During this time, war had broken out between India and Pakistan and consequences looked disastrous. Abdullah took this opportunity to settle matters with the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. His dialogues with her made an impact and resolved matters temporarily. Soon after this, Sheikh Abdullah was made the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. But by then, the ruling party had withdrawn its support due to which the State Assembly was dissolved and elections were conducted. The National Conference won with a majority support. During his term in office, Abdullah worked on the development of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh's infrastructure to better medical facilities and promote trade and tourism in the region. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah remained as Chief Minister until his death. On the 8th of September 1982, his eldest son Farooq Abdullah succeeded him.
