People’s Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Friday defended a Kashmiri cricketer who came under police scrutiny for wearing a helmet with the Palestine flag during a local cricket tournament in Jammu, saying there was nothing wrong with speaking about the situation in Gaza.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police ordered a preliminary enquiry after videos and photographs of cricketer Furqan Ul Haq circulated on social media, showing him sporting the Palestine flag on his helmet. The tournament began on December 29 in Jammu and was described by the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association as a private event not recognised by the association.
Reacting to the police action, Iltija Mufti questioned the shrinking space for free expression in Jammu and Kashmir. “We are summoned for everything. Do we not have the freedom to speak? If we talk about Palestine, what is wrong in that?” she said while speaking to reporters.
She pointed to global protests over the war in Gaza, saying people across Europe, the United States and London are openly protesting against what she described as the killing of civilians. “An entire generation is being wiped out in Gaza, yet here people are being picked up for anything and everything,” she said, adding that even the use of VPNs was being banned. “All this is happening in the name of law. There is no rule of law left,” she alleged.
Responding to reports that the BJP would not allow what it called Hamas ideology to spread in Jammu and Kashmir, Iltija Mufti said the party would not be allowed to impose its Hindutva ideology in the Union territory. “We will not allow Hindutva here. If you force us to chant Jai Shree Ram or Bharat Mata Ki Jai, we will not do it,” she said. She also referred to recent attacks on Kashmiri students and shawl vendors in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, saying such incidents were a result of growing intolerance.
Iltija also took a swipe at the BJP and its allies, referring to a recent viral video involving Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. “What are their allies doing? They are pulling the veils of women,” she said, calling it an attack on Muslim dignity.
Claiming that a sense of hopelessness prevails in Jammu and Kashmir, she said people no longer have the freedom to speak. “VPNs are banned, voices are silenced and the elected government does nothing. They do not even try to raise issues,” she said, accusing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of following the BJP’s agenda.
She criticised Omar Abdullah for not raising the issue of Article 370. “Why does he only talk about statehood? He is running the BJP’s agenda,” she alleged.
On electricity tariffs, Iltija Mufti said the chief minister’s announcement of no general hike meant little to ordinary people. “Power tariffs have increased by 300 percent in the last four years. There is hardly any electricity even where meters are installed. If someone earns Rs 300 or Rs 500 a day, how will they pay a bill of Rs 3,000?” she asked.
She said the National Conference had promised free electricity up to 200 units and had opposed smart meters during elections. “Now prepaid meters are being installed. Just because people in Gupkar can afford it does not mean common Kashmiris can,” she said, alleging that the government had failed to provide electricity and rations even during Chilla i Kalan, Kashmir’s harsh winter period.
“The NC has broken its promises one by one,” Iltija Mufti said, adding that the PDP would continue to raise issues related to land rights, freedom and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
