DD Correspondent
SRINAGAR: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday strongly criticised PDP president Mehbooba Mufti over her recent remarks comparing Gen Z protesters at Jantar Mantar with protesters in Kashmir, saying that branding Kashmiri protesters as militants amounted to “stooping very low.”
In a strongly worded statement, Bukhari described Mufti’s remarks as “deeply unfortunate” and alleged that they reflected the same mindset she displayed while in power.
He said he was “neither shocked nor surprised” by her statement, recalling her controversial remarks during the 2016 unrest and accusing her of justifying the killing of Kashmiri youth.
Bukhari alleged that it was during the PDP-BJP government led by Mehbooba Mufti that pellet guns were used against protesters, leaving hundreds of young people blinded or permanently injured.
“People of Jammu and Kashmir have not forgotten what happened during her tenure. These painful memories cannot be erased by political rhetoric or selective narratives,” he said.
The Apni Party chief further alleged that Mufti’s latest remarks had exposed her role in the “ruthless violence” witnessed during her tenure and accused her of pursuing opportunistic politics to suit changing political circumstances.
Claiming that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were fully aware of the political developments that brought the BJP into power in the erstwhile state, Bukhari said history could not be rewritten through speeches or selective narratives.
He also called upon the PDP leadership to clarify its stand on Mufti’s remarks, saying the party owed an explanation to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on whether it supported or rejected her statement.