Mufti says she’s been put under house arrest
The former CM has accused officials of using ‘fear and intimidation’ to ‘muffle’ opposition a day before DDC polls
SRINAGAR : Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday claimed that she and her daughter, Iltija Mufti, have been put under house arrest for last two days.
SRINAGAR: Former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday claimed that she and her daughter, Iltija Mufti, have been put under house arrest for last two days and not allowed to visit the Pulwama residence of PDP youth wing leader Waheed Parra, who was arrested by the NIA earlier this week.
“I’ve been illegally detained yet again. Since two days, 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 said in a tweet in the morning.
The police, however, clarified that the PDP chief has not been put under house arrest and was requested to postpone her visit to Pulwama ‘purely due to security reasons’. “PDP leader Ms Mehbooba Mufti is not under house arrest. She was requested to #postpone her visit to #Pulwama purely due to #security reasons. @JmuKmrPolice,” the police said in a tweet.
In a series of tweets earlier in the day, Mufti said, “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.”
A posse of policemen stopped journalists about 100 metres away from Mufti’s ‘Fairview’ residence in Gupkar area of the city here, where she was scheduled to address the media.
The police said the presser of the PDP president was not allowed as per the orders from the higher ups.
Mufti had invited journalists for the press conference this morning after she was allegedly put under house arrest.
She accused the administration of using “fear and intimidation” to “muffle” any form of opposition just a day before the commencement of the District Development Council polls.
“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,” she said in a tweet.
The former chief minister said she was not allowed for the last two days to meet the family of Waheed Parra. She said Parra was arrested on “baseless charges”. On Friday, an NIA court remanded him in 15 days of custody. Parra had filed his nomination for the election beginning from November 28.
Jammu and Kashmir is all set to witness its first elections since being reorganised as a union territory last year with the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls beginning on Saturday, officials said.