J&K: Mehbooba, Sajjad Claim They Are Placed Under House Arrest

Srinagar, Sep 18: PDP president and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti and People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone on Thursday alleged they were placed under house arrest to stop them from visiting Sopore for the last rites of former Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat, who passed away on Wednesday evening after a prolonged illness.

Mehbooba, in a post on X, said the move “lays bare the harsh and undemocratic reality in Jammu and Kashmir.” She also linked the restrictions to the recent Hazratbal Shrine controversy, where vandalism of a plaque bearing the Ashoka emblem triggered public anger.

Calling the Hazratbal episode “a loud, unmistakable message” of people’s suppressed anguish, Mehbooba accused the BJP of being “willfully blind” and of keeping Kashmir in “a constant state of turmoil for political mileage.”

Lone also condemned the restrictions, saying he was stopped from visiting Botingoo, Bhat’s ancestral village. “Professor sahib was a pacifist and long retired. A final goodbye is something we all deserved,” he said.

The Hazratbal row erupted on September 5, with several parties demanding action against Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi, accusing her of hurting religious sentiments by placing the national emblem inside the mosque.  (Agencies)