NEW YORK (Monitoring Desk): November 10, 2025
New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran K. Mamdani has come under criticism after referencing India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in a recent public address. Critics argue that Mamdani portrayed Nehru as a symbol of democracy while overlooking controversial aspects of his political legacy.
Statements circulating on social media recalled Nehru’s 1947 pledge to the United Nations and the Indian Parliament, promising that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would be allowed to determine their own future. Critics note that this promise was never fulfilled.
One statement read: “Nehru had assured that once peace and order were restored in Kashmir, Indian troops would be withdrawn and the people of the state would be allowed to make their own decision. That commitment was never honoured.”
Observers have argued that portraying Nehru solely as a democratic figure distorts history, ignoring unfulfilled pledges that have shaped decades of conflict in the region.
Commenting on the controversy, Farooq Siddiqi, President of the Kashmir Global Council (KGC) and a prominent separatist leader, said that invoking Nehru as a symbol of democracy is “an affront to justice and the memory of those still waiting for freedom.”
The debate has also revived discussion of Nehru’s telegram dated October 31, 1947, in which he reportedly stated: “We shall withdraw our troops from Kashmir as soon as peace and order is restored and leave the decision to the people of the State.”
Mamdani, known for his outspoken views on human rights and global justice, has not yet commented on the controversy.
Political analysts note that the episode highlights how the Kashmir issue remains one of the most sensitive and enduring topics in international political discourse.
