SRINAGAR: Sakina Masood Itoo, the only female cabinet minister who took an oath of office on October 16, has a history of being the sole female minister in Omar Abdullah’s previous tenure as chief minister.
The veteran leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference represented and won from the Damhal Hanjipora constituency by a significant margin, making her one of three female candidates who won in the recently concluded Assembly Elections held after a decade-long gap.
Sakina won by more than 17,000 votes, defeating the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party’s Gulzar Ahmed Dar. Itoo’s victory margin was 36,623 votes.
Sakina Itoo comes from a well-known political family; her father, Wali Mohammad Itoo, was a senior NC leader and former speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, who was assassinated by militants in the 1990s.
Following her father’s footsteps, Itoo joined politics and has become an important figure in the party. She has held several significant ministerial positions, including that of minister for social welfare.
In a statement shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, she assured the public that the National Conference is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people, with a key focus on restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
Itoo emphasised the party’s responsibility in addressing the people’s mandate and expectations. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have given us a huge mandate, and we will ensure that their hopes are met with action. Our top priority will be the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. We won’t discriminate based on region or religion. Both regions, Kashmir and Jammu, will receive equal representation. From Kashmir, we have the Chief Minister, and the Deputy Chief Minister is from Jammu,” she told the media.
Throughout her career, Sakina Itoo has survived twenty assassination attempts and was once one of only two female politicians in Kashmir.
