Sheikh Abdul Rehman

Sheikh Abdul Rehman (born 1933) is an Indian politician, survivor of the Indian partition, and former member of parliament and the legislative assembly from Jammu and Kashmir. He is notably recognized as the only Muslim to have served as the president of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the predecessor to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rehman has had a long and diverse political career, having been associated with several parties, including the Bharatiya Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and National Conference (NC).

Rehman attended school until Class 10 but could not continue due to the upheaval caused by Partition. In his teenage years, he became involved with the National Conference (NC) and led its Bhaderwah student wing. He was entrusted with delivering messages to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the NC founder and then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, who was imprisoned in Bhaderwah at the time.

In 1990, Rehman joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and successfully contested the Bhaderwah Assembly seat in 1996. Around 2011–2012, he returned to the National Conference, completing a full circle in his political journey.

Controversies and detention In October 2023, Rehman, then aged 92, was detained overnight by the police in Jammu. The detention occurred ahead of a solidarity meeting for residents of Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Although no formal charges were filed, Rehman expressed frustration over his detention, stating, “At least tell me what I did wrong.”