Srinagar, Feb 11:
Peoples Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday questioned Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s response to the recent Baramulla and Kathua incidents, saying they expected him to use his authority and demand accountability from the Home Minister.
Referring to the recent deaths in Baramulla and Kathua, Mehbooba said the incidents highlight serious concerns.
“In Baramulla, a truck driver Wasim Mir from Sopore was shot dead at close range. The doctor confirmed he was not hit accidentally but was shot directly,” she told reporters in Srinagar.” In Billawar, a man named Makhan Din was tortured to the point that he was forced to take his own life. The police, who are supposed to protect us, pushed him to this extreme step.”
“With 50 MLAs and MPs, he has the political authority to question the Home Minister on these matters. If the PDP wants to ask, we are not in a position to do so. But as the Chief Minister, he should have spoken up about these killings,” Mehbooba said.
She criticized Omar Abdullah for not raising these issues strongly during his recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
” He (Abdullah) should have told the Home Minister that you say that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is fine and fight the militancy but if an innocent
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is harmed by an army personnel, that personnel should be identified and punished. We are not saying that the entire army is bad,” she said.
“There are similar complaints against the SHO in Billawar that he is arresting youth and extorting money from them. Those who do not pay, he locks them up in militancy cases. You must have seen the video of Makhan Din. It was heart-wrenching,” she said.
Mehbooba said while statehood remains important, protecting people’s lives should be the priority.
“Statehood will come –- if not today, tomorrow, or sometime later, but what about the people who voted in large numbers for this government? There can be no statehood if people are not alive,” she said, expressing disappointment that Abdullah did not highlight these concerns.
The former Chief Minister also alleged that she and her daughter, Iltija Mufti, were unlawfully detained when they attempted to visit Sopore and Jammu.
“No security official informed us why we were stopped. We were locked inside our house without explanation. Even Iltija’s security personnel were suspended for no fault of theirs, simply because they did not spy on her,” she claimed.
Calling on the Government of India to uphold justice, Mehbooba urged for accountability in security-related violations.
“If you want to maintain a dignified relationship with Jammu and Kashmir, you must hold those responsible for human rights violations accountable. There must be an example set for the incidents in Baramulla and Kathua and culprits should be punished,” she asserted.
