The National Conference (NC) has demanded an apology from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over her remarks on the use of force against protesters in Kashmir in the past.
The controversy erupted after NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar shared a video of Mufti’s recent visit to Jantar Mantar, where she drew a parallel between the protesters in Delhi and those in Kashmir, saying that the use of force in the Valley had been justified by the presence of militancy.
Criticising her remarks, Dar wrote on X, “I am appalled beyond words. Mehbooba Mufti unabashedly and casually brands every Kashmiri protester a ‘militant’. The kids, the little girls... just everyone was a militant, she says. She goes on to justify the brutal use of force against Kashmiris. And then she goes on her classic act of shedding tears for their release from detention.”
In a clip shared by Dar and the NC’s official X handle, Mufti is heard saying, “There were people without badges and uniforms helping the Delhi Police baton-charge the protesters. This is the first time we have witnessed such scenes here. Although we have seen this in Kashmir for years, there is militancy, so it is understood that it was militants on one side and security forces on the other. But here (in Delhi) there is no militancy, and the protesters neither have stones nor weapons in their hands. They were protesting in a non-violent manner.”
Sharing the clip, the NC wrote on its official X handle: “If you happen to be a Kashmiri who is protesting for his/her rights, aap pe force use karna to ‘banta hai’. Wow.”
Zadibal MLA and senior NC leader Tanvir Sadiq also demanded an apology from Mufti, saying, “For a former Chief Minister to virtually justify the use of force against Kashmiri protesters by saying ‘banta hai’ is nothing short of disgraceful. Worse still, she has gone to the extent of branding protesting Kashmiris as ‘militants’.”
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari also criticised Mufti’s remarks, saying, “I am neither shocked nor surprised by Mehbooba Mufti’s latest video statement in which she draws a parallel between the Gen Z protesters at Jantar Mantar and those who used to protest in Kashmir, and goes on to describe Kashmir’s protesters as militants.”
Defending Mufti, PDP MLA Waheed Para alleged that the NC had shared an edited version of the video.
“The statement by Mehbooba Mufti was made in the context that whatever happens in Kashmir is being extended to other parts of the country. She said that because of terrorism and militancy, the government justifies the use of force against protesters in Kashmir, but the same cannot be justified in Delhi, where the situation is entirely different,” he said.