Kashmiri Politics: Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz and the Struggle for Inclusive Nationalism, 1930–1940

Abstract

This article examines the vision of Kashmiri nationalism articulated by Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz, one of the critical contemporaries of Sheikh Abdullah in the 1930s. While scholarly writings and dominant discourses on Kashmiri politics have largely ignored Bazaz, the article argues that Bazaz was one of the chief architects of the introduction and popularisation of an inclusive nationalist narrative in the valley, especially the transformation of the religiously-oriented Muslim Conference into the secular-socialist National Conference. Based on examination of the unexplored writings of Bazaz and his contemporaries, collected from Srinagar-based archives, the article delineates how and to what large extent Bazaz’s politics and ideas influenced Kashmiri politics. These original sources are largely in Urdu and all translations into English are mine.