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PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has described the National Investigation Agency raids against Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in Jammu and Kashmir as a “self-goal” for the Centre, saying instead of fighting an ideology with a better idea, the government was crushing contrarian thought with an iron fist.
NIA raids on Jamaat is emblematic of GOI waging a war against its so called ‘integral part’. Instead of fighting an ideology with a better idea it is crushing contrarian thought with an iron fist.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 9, 2021
“NIA raids on Jamaat is emblematic of GOI (Government of India) waging a war against its so called ‘integral part’. Instead of fighting an ideology with a better idea it is crushing contrarian thought with an iron fist,” Mufti wrote on Twitter.
She said such “oppressive measures” may seem to work temporarily, but in the long run it will prove to be “counter-productive”.
“The gulf between J&K and rest of the country widens with every passing day. It is a self-goal,” she said.
The NIA on Sunday carried out multiple raids against Jamaat-e-Islami linked members across Jammu and Kashmir, over two years after the religious group was banned by the Centre under anti-terror laws.
The joint raids by the NIA along with the police and Central Reserve Police Force were conducted at 56 locations in all the 10 districts of Kashmir and four districts of Jammu province — Ramban, Kishtwar, Doda and Rajouri — in a case related to the terror funding.
Earlier, Mufti had pitched for her party’s self-rule formula for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, saying it addresses both internal and external dimensions of the problem. Chairing a meeting of youth PDP leadership from all districts of the Valley, Mehbooba also underlined the need to initiate a threadbare conversation on how the PDP’s vision and roadmap have become all the more important given the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the fast-changing geopolitical situation in the subcontinent.
“Self-rule is an internally consistent framework indicative of direction for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue. It addresses the internal and external dimensions of the problem in a manner that is realistic, practical, just and acceptable. It is a creative framework for the resolution of the issue without compromising the sovereignty of the two nation states involved,” the PDP president said. Mehbooba said the youth are the beacon of hope for bringing about a lasting change in the polity of Jammu and Kashmir.
