Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, May 22 

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday expressed concern over the registration of an FIR against Kashmiri Pandit activists protesting against the implementation of the National Food Security Act in relation to relief and ration benefits for displaced migrant families.

In a statement issued in Srinagar, Mehbooba said the concerns raised by members of the Kashmiri Pandit community reflected “genuine anxieties” over their distinct identity and status as displaced migrants, which she said had been acknowledged by successive governments.

After decades of displacement, uncertainty and trauma, the community deserved empathy and engagement rather than criminalisation for voicing its concerns, she said.

Reacting to reports of police action against the protesters, the former chief minister said the growing tendency to respond to dissent through FIRs and intimidation was deeply troubling and inconsistent with democratic expression.

She said peaceful protests should not be treated as criminal acts, particularly when communities are raising concerns linked to survival, rehabilitation and legal protections.

Mehbooba said several Kashmiri Pandit organisations had opposed the move to bring migrant relief rations under the National Food Security Act framework, fearing it could dilute their separate migrant status and weaken the special relief and rehabilitation mechanisms established for families displaced from the Valley in the 1990s.

Many within the community viewed the move as an attempt to convert a humanitarian and displacement-related entitlement into a routine welfare scheme, she said.

The PDP chief said the issue should be addressed through dialogue and confidence-building measures rather than police action.

“The pain and displacement suffered by Kashmiri Pandits is a reality that cannot be ignored. Any policy decision affecting them must be taken only after meaningful consultation with the community,” she said.

Mehbooba said democratic governments must create space for citizens to raise concerns peacefully and warned that responding to every disagreement through police action risks deepening mistrust and alienation.

She urged the administration to withdraw the FIR and begin a transparent dialogue with representatives of the Kashmiri Pandit community on concerns related to the National Food Security Act.