Peoples Democratic Party president and former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited the family of a slain militant in Shopian on Thursday and said “directions come from the top to harass militants’ families”, evoking sharp criticism from the National Conference (NC) and the BJP.
Ms. Mufti visited the family members of Idrees Sultan of Shopian’s Safanagri area. The brother of Sultan, an Army soldier-turned-militant who was killed last November in an encounter, has been detained by the security forces “for over a month”. “I request Governor Satya Pal Malik to issue clear directions to stop such harassment,” said Ms. Mufti.
NC vice-president Omar Abdullah accused Ms. Mufti of using “dead militants to appease the voter”.
“This is dirty politics. If she is really concerned, she should have visited the families of soldiers who laid down their lives,” State BJP chief Ravinder Raina said.
