Within the Valley, the reforms caused a social transformation that has few parallels. It is relatively well-known that many Kashmiris almost worshipped the ground on which Sheikh Abdullah walked. Seventeen persons were killed in stampedes at his funeral. However, the roots for his iconic popularity are rarely discussed. It is well worth recalling on his 112th birth anniversary that the most vital reason for his popularity was land reforms, which most Kashmiris identify through the slogan, ‘land to the tiller’. The land reforms in Kashmir, which were among the first…
Read MoreRadical land reforms were key to Sheikh Abdullah’s towering influence on Kashmir
