The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) on Wednesday slammed the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s move to extend the detention of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and two other senior leaders.
Also read: Article 370 created separatist mindset: Centre
Ms Mufti, her uncle and ex-Deputy Speaker of the erstwhile Assembly Sartaj Madani and Dr. Farooq Abdullah's close aide and ex-Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar were served fresh orders by J&K Principal Secretary, Home, Shaleen Kabra.
“With a view to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, his detention be extended for a further period of three months,” reads the order served to Mr. Sagar on Wednesday.
Mr. Sagar’s son Salman Sagar said, “Never did we expect this was coming our way. It is unwarranted and demoralising. In such hard times, I would request all to pin their hopes in the court of law, and abide by the law of land. We want all of you to do the same”.
Ms Mufti's daughter said Iltija Mufti said the action was aimed at stifling the voices of reason. “It has become a norm for the current dispensation, especially post illegal scrapping of Article 370 . Therefore, the extension of my mother’s detention doesn’t surprise me. Wishful thinking to assume that by smothering any debate on Article 370, the issue will vanish”, she stated.
A PDP spokesman said, “It's an attempt to criminalise a democratically elected leader for standing against erosion of constitutional rights of Kashmiris. The BJP by further detaining Ms. Mufti is only proving that it is deeply insecure of her voice and fearful to compete with the only woman CM J&K has ever had.”
Smacks of vindictiveness: Omar
Condemning the move, NC vice president Omar Abdullah said, “It smacks of vindictiveness and nothing else. New Delhi needed to make friends in J&K but is doing the opposite.”
He said Ms. Mufti's detention was “unbelievably cruel and retrograde.” “Nothing she [Ms. Mufti] has done or said in any way justifies the way the Indian state has treated her and the others detained. For a government that is making tall claims about normality in J&K, the last few days, coupled with the extension of Ms. Mufti’s detention, is proof enough that [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi ji has single-handedly pushed J&K back by decades”.
Adnan Ashraf Mir, a spokesman of Sajad Lone’s Peoples Conference, said the move was completely “unjustifiable”. “Keeping them away from their families, especially during Ramzan, is condemnable. Instead of learning from its mistakes since August 5, the government is leaving no stone unturned to further alienate Kashmiris”, he observed.
Ms. Mufti was held on August 5 last, ahead of the Centre's decision to revoke J&K’s special status, and was booked under the PSA on February 6. She was later shifted her official residence, which has been converted into a sub-jail.
