Why sign bond, Mufti's daughter questions manner of releasing politicians
Iltija Mufti, the daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, on Thursday slammed the Centre, once again, for imposing conditions before releasing the politicians of Kashmir. Citing reports which she came across, Iltija asked why were politicians made to sign a "release bond" when the detention itself was illegal. Reportedly, three politicians were released today after being in detention for weeks.
Politicians were detained in August before Article 370's abrogation
Several mainstream politicians of J&K were detained hours before BJP introduced a Bill in Rajya Sabha to revoke provisions of Article 370, which allowed the border state to function under a separate set of rules. The detained politicians include three former CMs- Mufti, Omar, and Farooq Abdullah. Just last week, leaders of Jammu were given their freedom back, but Kashmir's weren't as lucky.
Who are the leaders who were freed today?
As the government said earlier, it started releasing Kashmir's politicians "one by one". The ones whose detention reportedly ended today are Yawar Mir, Noor Mohammed, and Shoiab Lone. Mir is a former PDP MLA, Mohammed a member of NC, and Lone a Congressman. Officials said on Wednesday night they were asked to sign an undertaking that they will "maintain peace" before being released.
Under what law were detainees asked to sign bond: Iltija
Giving her opinion on the bond, Iltija, who is handling her mother's Twitter account, wrote, "Reports say detainees released today were forced to sign bonds. Under what law is their release conditional as their detention was illegal itself?" She revealed her mother and other leaders refused to sign such a bond. "The govt with its rudderless approach is tying itself in knots," she added.
"What about the damage done to country's moral fabric?"
"A democratic India that always fought for principles of liberty & equality is today being questioned & castigated for its brutal actions in Kashmir internationally. Governments will come & go but what about the damage done to the reputation & moral fabric of this country? (sic)", she wrote.
You can read her tweet here
Separately, Iltija asked why Army is present in Kashmir
In yet another tweet, Iltija said BJP is only concerned about winning elections. She asked why are 9 lakh Army personnel deployed in the Valley if everything was normal. "They aren't there because of an imminent attack from Pak but simply to quell protests. Army's primary responsibility is to protect borders instead of being used to crush dissent," her tweet read.
BJP uses "jawan card" for votes: Iltija
Earlier, Iltija claimed government was threatening with PSA
Earlier this week, Iltija made another serious allegation against the government. She said Centre has threatened to charge politicians with the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) if they challenge their detention. To note, 81-year-old Farooq, the tallest leader of the Valley, has been charged with PSA. This Act allows the government to detain anyone without trial for up to two years.
