Detained again, says Mehbooba Mufti; Not under arrest, says Police

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday prevented former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti from visiting south Kashmir’s Pulwama, citing shortage in security personnel to protect her. Later, she was disallowed to address a news conference at her Srinagar residence too.

Mufti accused the administration of turning Kashmir into an ‘open prison’ and lashed out at the BJP for ‘muffling’ the opposition ahead of district development council elections that begins on Saturday. The J&K Police said that Mufti was not under house arrest. “She was requested to postpone her visit to Pulwama due to security reasons,” Kashmir Zone police tweeted.

The PDP leader, vice-president of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration — a platform which was formed to fight for the restoration of special status and statehood of J&K — tweeted her anguish against the administration and posted pictures of the government orders asking her to reschedule her visit due to security reasons and non-availability of adequate security personnel in the wake of the elections.

“I’ve been illegally detained yet again. Since two days, J&K administration has refused to allow me to visit Wahid Para’s family in Pulwama. BJP ministers and their puppets are allowed to move around in every corner of Kashmir but security is a problem in my case,” said Mufti.


"NIA has arrested PDP’s youth president Para in a militancy related case and he has been sent to 15 days police custody. Their cruelty knows no bounds. Waheed was arrested on baseless charges and I am not allowed to even console his family. Even my daughter Iltija has been placed under house arrest because she also wanted to visit Waheed’s family,” said Mufti. Iltija Mufti shared a video seeking answers from the security staff for disallowing the media to meet the PDP leader.

“Press has been barred from entering my residence in Srinagar. This despite no written orders explaining my arbitrary detention. Kashmir is an open air prison where no one has the right to express their opinion,” said Mufti.

The PDP leader alleged that the administration was using fear and intimidation ahead of DDC polls. “We are one day away from DDC polling & it’s evident that the administration here is using fear and intimidation in tandem to muffle any form of opposition,” she said.