Mubashir Alam Wani
Srinagar, Feb 11: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday criticised the government over the recent killings in Bumai, Sopore, and Bilawar, Kathua.
Mehbooba, while speaking to the media, accused the authorities of failing to ensure justice for innocent civilians and imposing unnecessary restrictions on political leaders.
Referring to the killing of ‘unarmed’ Waseem Mir from Sopore, a truck driver, and the alleged police torture that led to suicide in Bilawar, Mufti questioned the silence of the administration.
She expressed disappointment when the National Conference leader, also the J&K CM Omar Abdullah, met the Union Home Minister but did not raise these critical issues.
“The statehood issue is important, but what matters first is the safety and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. If people are not alive, what is the meaning of statehood?” she said.
Mufti also alleged that certain police officers, particularly an SHO in Bilawar, were extorting money from youth under the pretext of militancy charges. She stressed that accountability should be ensured at all levels, including within the security forces, in cases of human rights violations.
Expressing anger over being prevented from visiting the affected families in Sopore and Jammu, Mufti stated that security forces locked her residence and blocked her from travelling. “I have been a Chief Minister, my daughter Iltija is a law-abiding citizen, yet we were put under house arrest without any justification,” she said.
She also condemned the suspension of Iltija Mufti’s Personal Security Officers (PSOs), terming it as punishment for not spying on her. “If you stopped them from accompanying her, why suspend them? Their only fault is that they refused to spy on Iltija,” Mufti remarked.
Calling on the central government to treat Jammu and Kashmir with dignity, she urged strict action against those responsible for the Sopore and Bilawar incidents and the immediate reinstatement of Iltija’s PSOs. (KNO)
