Mufti terms 3,000 arrests post attack ‘alarming’, writes to L-G
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said that innocent people should not suffer as a consequence of the intensified security operations launched after the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
In a letter addressed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Mehbooba stated that more than 3,000 arrests and nearly 100 Public Safety Act (PSA) detentions had taken place across the Valley.
“Such numbers are alarming and don’t reflect justice but rather a collective form of punishment. This approach not only risks alienating families and communities but also begs the question: where will all this lead us to?” she wrote.
Expressing grief over the incident, she added, “I write to you at a moment when the nation is grieving the tragic and cowardly terror attack in Pahalgam. This heinous act has been widely condemned across the country, more so by the people of Kashmir. In fact, we went a step further by observing a complete shutdown and hitting the streets in protest.”
Mehbooba further stated that while searching for those responsible, authorities should not adopt measures that alienate the general public. “No democratic and responsible society can or should accept such treatment of its own people. I have long maintained that the people of Kashmir have extended a hand of goodwill. But it is now for the rest of the nation to respond in kind. It is deeply disheartening that the actions of a few terrorists are now determining how security agencies respond to the situation and go on a spree of arrests of innocent civilians,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also urged authorities to act with caution and ensure that innocent civilians do not suffer amid the crackdown.
Speaking to reporters, Omar said, “We have to make sure that innocents do not suffer due to the action after the Pahalgam attack. This should not be the message that we are arresting everyone in J&K. There needs to be restraint and work wisely. We have already conveyed this (to the authorities).”
He emphasised that in the hunt for the perpetrators of the April 22 attack, which killed 26 people, security forces must take care not to penalise those uninvolved.
Referring to reports of an alleged suicide by a youth from Kulgam who was reportedly picked up by security personnel and later found dead in a stream, Omar said such incidents must not occur.
“News reports of arrests are coming from different corners of Kashmir. People of Kashmir had openly come out against the dastardly attack in Pahalgam. They made it clear that they are not with violence,” Omar said.
J & K