iltija mufti

People’s Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Monday criticised the police handling of the recent killing of three civilians in Kathua, including a 14-year-old boy and demanded an impartial probe into the incident.

Mufti expressed concern that the police are not behaving neutrally, citing the fact that BJP leaders were allowed to visit Billawar in the Kathua district of J-K while she and her team were denied permission.

“We wanted to visit Billawar, but the leaders of BJP were allowed to go. We are worried that the police are not behaving in a neutral way. The youngest victim is a 14-year-old. We demand an impartial probe,” said the PDP leader.

Mufti’s comments come after she was denied permission to visit the affected area while BJP leaders were allowed to go.

Despite police claims of normalcy, Mufti pointed out that the incident raises concerns about the police’s ability to perform their duties.

“Police here is stating that everything is normal. If everything is normal here, then how are such big incidents taking place here, ” Mufti told reporters, referring to the killing of three youths.

She also referred to her previous month’s visit to the Billawar, a town in the Kathua district, stating that “people had fear and fear of police more than the militants”. I am not saying that everyone has a bad name among the police…If such incidents are taking place here, it is a border district”.

The PDP leader stressed that police need to be more careful in order to prevent such incidents

“Police should be more careful. They have to be vigilant. Somewhere, the responsibility comes to the police. And unfortunately, it seems police are not able to discharge their duty properly,” the PDP leader said.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary condemned the killings.

Three people who went missing in the Kathua district were found dead by security forces in a river on Saturday, triggering protests in the area.

The leader of Opposition (LoP) of the JK Assembly, Sunil Sharma, expressed his concern, saying the central government is very worried about the situation and that whoever is behind the incident will not be spared.

“All the MLAs went to Kathua and met the families of the deceased. We discussed on the events leading to their deaths and informed the Union Home Minister, who ensured that action will be taken according to the outcome of the investigation… Central government is very worried about the situation and whoever is behind the incident will not be spared at all,” Sharma told ANI.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has also ordered an investigation into the incident. (ANI)

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti has raised strong objections to the acquisition of 5000 kanals of prime agricultural land in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, for establishing a new campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT).

Taking to social media platform X, Mufti expressed her concerns, calling the move another example of what she describes as unchecked land appropriation under the guise of “development” in the region.

“Grabbing land in Kashmir under the ruse of ‘development’ in J&K continues unabated,” she wrote. “Pray tell what’s the need to seize 5000 kanals of prime agricultural land in Pulwama to establish a NIT? If education was such a priority, why have a lopsided reservation in the first place?”

Mufti’s remarks underline growing discontent among locals and political leaders who view such large-scale land acquisitions as detrimental to Kashmir’s agricultural economy. Critics argue that while education infrastructure is essential, utilising fertile agricultural land for construction projects risks long-term harm to the region’s resources and livelihoods.

This controversy adds to the ongoing debate over land reforms and development priorities in Jammu and Kashmir, with many demanding a balanced approach that safeguards local interests.

The government has yet to respond to Mufti’s statement or provide further details on the proposed NIT campus in Pulwama.

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People’s Democratic Party (PDP) clarified her ‘controversial’ post where she expressed a strong criticism of ‘Hindutva’ calling it an “illness,” and said that there is a lot of difference between ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Hinduism’.

This comes after the PDP leader, reacting to a purported video of the attack on minor Muslim boys forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, called Hindutva “a disease” that has “afflicted millions of Indians & sullied a Gods name.”

“Ram the deity must hang his head in shame & watch helplessly as minor Muslim boys are whacked with chappals only because they refuse to chant his name,” she stated on Saturday.

Clarifying her stance today, Mufti drew a clear distinction between Hindutva and Hinduism, emphasising that the former is a religion promoting values of secularism, love, and compassion, similar to Islam.

She criticised Hindutva as an “ideology of hate” propagated by Veer Savarkar in the 1940s.

“There is a lot of difference between Hindutva and Hinduism. Hindutva is a philosophy of hate that Veer Savarkar spread in India in the 1940s with the aim of establishing the hegemony of Hindus, and the philosophy was that India belongs to Hindus and is for Hindus. Like Islam, Hinduism is also a religion that promotes secularism, love, and compassion. So, let’s not deliberately distort it,” she said.

Mufti further argued that the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” has been wrongly associated with violence and is being used as a tool to instigate hate, rather than representing the ideals of “Ramrajya.”

“The slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is not about ‘Ramrajya,’ but it is being linked to lynching… It is very shameful that Hinduism is being distorted…I criticised Hindutva as it is an illness,” she added.

Following Mufti’s post, she drew a lot of flak, especially from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

BJP leader Ravinder Raina said that the PDP leader had used “very derogatory language” for Hinduism and demanded an apology from her.

“PDP leader has used a very derogatory language. This kind of language should not be used. There might be differences of opinion in politics but derogatory language should not be used…PDP leader Iltija Mufti should apologise for her remarks,” Raina said.

Later, Iltija Mufti made another post, wherein she stated that the “senseless violence” carried out in the name of Islam has led to ‘Islamophobia’ and a “similar situation” is happening with Hinduism.

“Much outrage over my tweet & also whataboutery about Islam. The senseless violence that’s been carried out in the name of Islam is what caused Islamophobia in the first place. Today Hinduism (not Hindutva) also finds itself in a similar situation where it’s being used & abused to lynch & persecute minorities. Let’s call spade a spade,” she stated on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the recently concluded Jammu and Kashmir assembly Elections — first in a decade and after the abrogation of special status — Iltija Mufti failed in her aim of making a political debut after losing from South Kashmir’s Bijbehara constituency, in an election that saw her party being reduced to mere three seats. (ANI)

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Iltija Mufti, Media Advisor to former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Srigufwara-Bijbehara assembly elections, has accepted the people’s mandate as she trails by over 5,067 votes.

In the Srigufwara-Bijbehara constituency, National Conference (NC) candidate Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri has secured 22,194 votes and is leading with a margin of 5,067, while Iltija has secured 17,127 votes after the completion of eight rounds of counting.

Taking to the microblogging site X, formerly known as Twitter, Iltija wrote, “I accept the verdict of the people. The love & affection I received from everyone in Bijbehara will always stay with me. Gratitude to my PDP workers who worked so hard throughout this campaign.”

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iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, stated that the senior leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will decide on extending support to a secular front only after the election results are announced.

“Unnecessary speculations. Let me put the record straight. PDPs senior leadership will take a call on extending support to a secular front only once the results are out. This is our official stand: Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on X.

Earlier, JKNC chief Farooq Abdullah said that he is open to taking support of Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP to form the government, if needed, in the Union Territory.He mentioned that he has no objection to joining hands with rival PDP while also hoping that its ally Congress would not have any as well.

With exit polls indicating a hung assembly for 90 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, all eyes are now on the actual results, which will be announced tomorrow, October 8.Voters in Jammu and Kashmir cast ballots in three phases: on September 18, September 25, and October 1. This year’s three-phase elections resulted in an overall voter participation of 63.45%.(KNS).

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