Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday strongly criticised state governments for allegedly patronising mob violence against Kashmiris outside the Union Territory, accusing them of allowing hatred to replace the rule of law.
In a post on X, she wrote, “Instead of upholding Raj Dharma, the state governments appear to be granting silent patronage to mob violence, treating hatred as a shortcut to political success. The rule of law has been replaced by the politics of fear.”
Her remarks came in response to a video purportedly showing an elderly Kashmiri man being harassed by a mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.
The former Chief Minister has repeatedly condemned the recent surge in mob violence against Kashmiri shawl sellers and labourers across several states. She also criticised the “deafening silence” of Members of Parliament from the Union Territory for failing to raise the issue in Parliament.
“First, it was young Tabish, nearly beaten to death in Uttarakhand. Now, an elderly Kashmiri is being harassed while the perpetrators roam free. Where are the MPs of J&K, who should be raising their voices as such attacks become routine?” she asked.
A separate video showed an 18-year-old Kashmiri youth and his brother being seriously injured after they were assaulted by a group of people in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district on January 28.
Attacks on Kashmiris outside the UT have increased sharply since the Pahalgam terror attack, and Mehbooba Mufti accused state governments of failing to curb the rising tide of hate crimes against Kashmiris.
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