Detained again, not allowed to visit Pulwama, says Mufti

Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday morning that she was detained by Jammu & Kashmir Police, and prevented from visiting Pulwama in South Kashmir to meet the family of senior PDP leader Waheed Parra, who was arrested by the national investigating agency (NIA) earlier this week.

Later on Friday, she was not allowed to address a press conference at her residence at Gupkar. “I’ve been illegally detained yet again. For two days, the J&K admin has refused to allow me to visit @parawahid ’s family in Pulwama. BJP Ministers & their puppets are allowed to move around in every corner of Kashmir but security is a problem only in my case,” Mufti tweeted on Friday morning.

Parra was arrested by NIA on Wednesday in connection with a terror case in which a senior police officer was arrested along with two militants in January.

Mufti said that her daughter Iltija Mufti has also been placed under house arrest. “Their cruelty knows no bounds. Waheed was arrested on baseless charges & I am not allowed to even console his family. Even my daughter Iltija has been placed under house arrest because she wanted to visit Waheed’s family.” However in the afternoon when media persons arrived at her home, the police didn’t allow them to enter.

“The Press has been barred from entering my residence in Srinagar. This despite no written orders explaining my arbitrary detention. Kashmir is an open air prison where no one has the right to express their opinion,” tweeted Mehbooba Mufti.

Police denied that Mehbooba Mufti is under house arrest. “PDP leader Ms Mehbooba Mufti is not under house arrest. She was requested to postpone her visit to Pulwama purely due to security reasons,” police spokesman said.

Mufti further said that her administration is using fear and intimidation.

“We are one day away from DDC polling & its evident that the admin here is using fear & intimidation in tandem to muffle any form of opposition.”

Jammu and Kashmir is set for its maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls and by-elections to the panchayat and urban local bodies, scheduled to be held in eight phases beginning November 28.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of treating personal liberty as a favour.

“Parking a truck in front of our gates is now standard operating procedure for this admin. They did the same to my father recently to stop him from praying. Personal liberty is treated as a favour by the govt, to give & withdraw at will, with no interference from the judiciary,” he wrote on Twitter.

His father and NC president Farooq Abdullah was on October 30 prevented from leaving his residence to offer prayers at Hazratbal shrine on the occasion of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi

Meanwhile, PDP youth president Waheed ur Rehman Parra was produced before a NIA court in Jammu and sent to 15 days police custody by the court. Parra was arrested by NIA in New Delhi on Wednesday.He s also contesting DDC polls from Pulwama.

(With PTI inputs)