Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday accused the Centre of treating the people of Jammu and Kashmir like criminals.
Speaking to reporters in Anantnag, Mufti alleged that employees were being arbitrarily dismissed from service and branded as “anti-national,” while even residential houses were being labelled the same and either seized or demolished with explosives.
Referring to the recent attachment of the office of the banned Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, founded by the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani in 2004, Mufti said, “Geelani is no more, but his 80-year-old widow lives in that house. Where is humanity? Recently, Bihar shut down after someone used abusive language against a mother. Here, an elderly widow, who is also a mother, is being forced out of her home.”
The three-storey building at Hyderpora, which served as Geelani’s residence as well as the headquarters of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, was sealed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Wednesday.
Mufti stressed that political or ideological disagreements should not translate into “inhuman treatment.”
“We don’t subscribe to the RSS ideology, nor did we agree with Geelani’s ideology. But turning his home into a criminal property, sealing Jamaat-e-Islami schools, and raiding the Falah-e-Aam trust every other day—what have you reduced Kashmir to?” she asked.
She further said that despite Jammu and Kashmir’s decision to accede to India in 1947, its people are now being made to feel like outlaws.
“In Ladakh, despite tensions, dialogue is being held. In Gaza too, efforts are underway for talks. Why not resolve issues in Kashmir through dialogue?” Mufti said.
