E-Paper
Mehbooba Mufti backs Lapid's criticism of 'Kashmir Files': 'Finally someone…'
Lapid, an Israeli filmmaker who headed the jury at the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa, said during Monday's closing ceremony that ‘The Kashmir Files’ was a "propaganda movie" that had no place at a film festival, drawing a wave of criticism and outrage on social media.
PDP chief and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday endorsed Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid's criticism of the Bollywood movie ‘The Kashmir Files’. Mufti said the movie was a “sheer propaganda promoted by the ruling party to demonise Muslims, especially Kashmiris”.
Lapid, an Israeli filmmaker who headed the jury at the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa, said during Monday's closing ceremony that ‘The Kashmir Files’ was a "propaganda movie" that had no place at a film festival, drawing a wave of criticism and outrage on social media.
“Finally someone called out a movie that was nothing but sheer propaganda promoted by the ruling party to demonise muslims esp Kashmiris & widen the gulf between Pandits & Muslims. Sad that diplomatic channels are now being used to silence the truth,” Mufti tweeted.
Lapid's name was trending on Twitter for most of Tuesday and several users accused him of dismissing the portrayal of the exodus of Hindus from Kashmir.
Naor Gilon, Israel's ambassador to India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, apologised on Twitter. "As a human being I feel ashamed and want to apologise to our hosts for the bad manner in which we repaid them for their generosity and friendship," he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi high court on Wednesday permitted Mufti to withdraw her petition challenging the constitutional validity of a provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The lawyer appearing for the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister told a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad about her decision to withdraw the petition which was filed in March 2021.
The petition also challenged the summons issued to her by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case and sought a stay which the court had earlier declined.
