Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday alleged that she was placed under “house arrest” to prevent her from visiting the family of senior separatist leader Abdul Gani Bhat, who passed away a day earlier.
Taking to X, Mehbooba wrote, “The decision to place the political leadership under house arrest today, simply to stop us from visiting Sopore to offer condolences on the demise of Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, lays bare the harsh and undemocratic reality in Jammu and Kashmir. What unfolded at Hazratbal Dargah the eruption of spontaneous, raw public anger was not just an isolated incident. It was a loud, unmistakable message from a people pushed to the edge. The BJP however remains willfully blind to this truth refusing to learn anything from the deep anguish and suppressed emotions that have been building for years now.”
She further accused the BJP of fueling unrest instead of seeking reconciliation. “It is becoming increasingly clear that the BJP has no interest in peace or healing in Kashmir. Instead, they seem determined to keep the region in a constant state of turmoil weaponizing pain and unrest for political mileage across the rest of the country. This cynical approach is not just irresponsible; it is dangerous and utterly reprehensible,” she said.
Abdul Gani Bhat, former chairman of the separatist conglomerate All Parties Hurriyat Conference, died at his home in Batingoo village in Sopore’s Baramulla district on Wednesday at the age of 90.
Bhat was among the leaders who formed the Muslim United Front (MUF) in 1987 to contest the Assembly elections against the ruling National Conference led by Dr Farooq Abdullah. The polls were widely believed to have been rigged to prevent MUF candidates from entering the Assembly.
The fallout saw many MUF activists crossing into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for arms training, later returning to fuel militancy in the Valley in 1989. Many observers believe the rigging of the 1987 elections was a key factor in Pakistan exploiting disillusioned youth to further its militancy campaign in Kashmir.