Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 27

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has come under fire from political rivals over remarks she made at a student protest in New Delhi, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah demanding an apology and accusing her of justifying the use of force in Kashmir.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mufti was speaking at a protest near Jantar Mantar in support of students demonstrating over the NEET examination controversy when she contrasted police action in Delhi with the security situation in Kashmir.

“We have seen this for the first time in Delhi. We have witnessed it in Kashmir for many years. Magar wahan militancy hai, uska ek banta hai,” she said, according to a video of the event circulated online.

The phrase, which can be interpreted as meaning that such action is understandable or justified, triggered a political backlash in Kashmir.

Abdullah, who heads the rival National Conference (NC), said militancy could not be used to justify violations of people’s rights.

“What she said there … justifying the misuse of power, arrests, and all these things by saying that because there is militancy in Kashmir, ‘it is justified’. On what basis is it justified?” Abdullah said.

He questioned whether militancy meant that the law should not apply in Kashmir or that children should be denied justice and people’s passports withheld.

The dispute has revived political tensions surrounding the PDP’s record in government during the 2016 unrest that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured during the violence, while the use of pellet guns by security forces caused severe eye injuries among protesters and bystanders.

NC chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq accused Mufti of blurring the distinction between militants and ordinary protesters.

“Are those who protest against reservation militants? Are those who protest for basic amenities also militants?” Sadiq said.

NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar also criticised Mufti, accusing her of branding ordinary Kashmiris as militants and effectively justifying the use of force against them.

The controversy extended beyond the NC-PDP rivalry. Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari accused Mufti of political opportunism and referred to remarks she made during the 2016 unrest that were widely criticised.

People’s Conference president Sajad Lone, meanwhile, accused BJP leaders of trying to revive the narrative that the PDP was separatist, saying such attacks could help the PDP portray itself as the target of a coordinated political campaign.

The Awami Ittehad Party also accused Mufti of political hypocrisy, saying she had criticised the use of force in Delhi while offering explanations for similar action in Kashmir.

The controversy is particularly sensitive because Mufti was chief minister during the 2016 unrest. Her government later told the Jammu and Kashmir High Court that the use of pellet guns was not unconstitutional and that decisions on methods used to maintain law and order should be left to the state.

The remarks have also exposed divisions within the PDP. Party legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Para questioned the authenticity of the video circulating online and described it as AI-manipulated.

Abdullah rejected that explanation, saying the event had been attended by media organisations and that multiple recordings were available.

“Everyone can make mistakes,” Abdullah said, arguing that Mufti could have acknowledged that she had misspoken and expressed regret instead of disputing the authenticity of the video.

The controversy comes as the PDP seeks to rebuild its political position in Kashmir following the 2019 removal of the region’s special status, Mufti’s subsequent detention and the restructuring of the former state’s political order.

For the party, the episode risks reopening questions over its record during the 2016 unrest and its efforts to present itself as a defender of Kashmir’s political rights.