Kashmir’s Oldest Party Faces Extinction

The crushing defeat of Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan in Bagh West has pushed the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, Kashmir’s oldest party, to the brink of extinction in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Once a dominant force that produced presidents and prime ministers, the party now faces the unprecedented prospect of having no representation in the Legislative Assembly, exposing how dynastic concentration, defections and the rise of Pakistan’s national parties hollowed out its organisational base and political relevance.