Over two years after publicly denouncing separatist ideology and pledging allegiance to the sovereignty of the Union of India, Ruwa Shah, granddaughter of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, is likely to join the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Reports about Ruwa Shah joining the mainstream political party are being viewed as a significant political development in the Kashmir Valley.
In March 2024, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Ruwa Shah published notices in local newspapers in Kashmir, distancing herself from separatist ideology and pledging allegiance to the sovereignty of the Union of India.
Ruwa Shah, whose father and Geelani’s son-in-law, Altaf Ahmad Shah, died in 2022 while in judicial custody in a terror-funding case, also distanced herself from the Hurriyat Conference faction founded by her late grandfather. In the newspaper notice, she declared that she had no inclination towards or sympathy for its ideology.
“I am a loyal citizen of India, not affiliated with any organisation or association which has an agenda against the Union of India, and I owe allegiance to the Constitution of my country (India),” Shah stated in her notice.
Sources close to Ruwa Shah and the PDP said that discussions were underway, although there has been no official confirmation from her regarding whether or when she would formally join the party.
PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has publicly welcomed the possibility. Speaking to a news channel, she said, “She is like my daughter; PDP doors are open. If she wishes to join us, she is welcome.”
The National Conference (NC) has also welcomed the development, saying that had such a change in thinking prevailed earlier, the situation in Kashmir might have been different.
Political observers see Ruwa Shah’s possible entry into the PDP as adding a new dimension to Kashmir’s evolving political landscape, particularly at a time when mainstream political parties are striving to strengthen their support base in the post-Article 370 era.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani was one of the most prominent and uncompromising faces of the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir for decades. He had emerged as a hardline pro-Pakistan voice and remained a staunch advocate of separatism.
Ruwa Shah’s public rejection of her grandfather’s ideology in 2024, followed by reports of her possible entry into a mainstream political party such as the PDP in 2026, is being described by some observers as a symbolic generational shift. Whether and when she formally joins the party remains to be seen, but Mehbooba Mufti’s invitation and the ongoing discussions have already drawn considerable attention in political circles across Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP has described the development as an eye-opener for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. The party has also alleged that the PDP and Hurriyat share similar ideological positions, claiming that Ruwa Shah’s reported preference for the PDP vindicates its earlier stand.
BJP Jammu and Kashmir unit spokesperson Altaf Thakur said, “We used to say before that PDP and Hurriyat are the same. Now, Geelani’s granddaughter is going to contest elections carrying the PDP banner, or is joining PDP, it doesn’t make any difference. But this should be an eye-opener for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, for the children of Jammu and Kashmir, that the man who got thousands of Kashmiri children killed today, his daughter is joining PDP.”
Ruwa Shah’s father, Altaf Ahmad Shah, alias Fantoosh, was the elder son-in-law of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and a close associate of the veteran separatist leader.
His association with separatist politics was organisational and not merely through his family relationship.
According to an official Ministry of Home Affairs document concerning Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), Altaf Ahmad Shah served as its Public Relations Officer (PRO). The organisation was founded by Geelani in 2004.
He was among the separatist leaders investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with an alleged terror-funding conspiracy. The NIA’s case alleged that he and other Tehreek-e-Hurriyat functionaries were involved in activities related to funding unrest, protests and shutdowns in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NIA subsequently filed a chargesheet against him. However, these allegations should be distinguished from a judicial conviction.
Altaf Ahmad Shah was arrested by the NIA in July 2017 in connection with its investigation into alleged terror financing and separatist activities in Kashmir. He was subsequently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, where he remained in judicial custody.
He died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on October 11, 2022, while still in judicial custody. He was 66.