Iltija Javed, daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, on Friday wrote an open letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and asked why she was being “placed under house arrest” despite being “a law-abiding citizen”. Ms. Javed said “she fears for her life”.
“For the world’s largest democracy, doesn’t a citizen have a right to speak up in the face of unimaginable repression? I’ve been threatened with dire consequences if I speak up (to the media) again,” said Ms. Javed, in a letter passed on to the media after bypassing the security set up outside her mother’s official residence.
‘War criminal’
She asked Mr. Shah to explain the reason behind her house detention despite being “a law-abiding citizen” and “turning away guests” who desire to meet her. “Today while the rest of the country celebrates India’s Independence Day, Kashmiris have been caged like animals and deprived of basic human rights,” Ms. Javed wrote in the letter. “It’s a tragic irony that I am being treated like a war criminal for stating the inconvenient truth,” Ms. Javed said.
Ms. Mufti’s daughter alleged she was “treated like a criminal”. “I am under constant surveillance. I fear for my life along with those Kashmiris who have spoken up,” she added.
Earlier, in an interview, Ms. Javed had questioned the solitary detention of her mother by the Governor’s administration. She alleged her mother’s life was also under threat.
Most regional leaders, including National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah, Ms. Mufti and over two dozen former legislators of the NC and the PDP, have been detained by the authorities since August 5, when the Parliament scrapped Article 370.
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