'Forced loyalty pledges’ of separatist leaders’ kin akin to intimidation by militants in 1990s: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar: Days after the kin of some senior separatist leaders pledged “loyalty to India” through newspaper notices, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday compared the situation to the 1990s when militants used to threaten political workers to disassociate from the mainstream.

Hurriyat hawk late Syed Ali Geelani’s granddaughter Ruwa Shah and jailed separatist leader Shabir Shah’s daughter Sama Shabir had recently put notices in newspapers disassociating themselves from “separatist ideology” and pledging their loyalty to “the sovereignty of Union of India”.

While sharing pictures of nearly identical notices published in local newspapers on micro-blogging site X, Mehbooba said, “Kashmir witnessed a time when gun toting militants threatened & forced political workers to disassociate themselves from the mainstream or face dire consequences. Today that pattern is being repeated & what makes it even more disturbing is that the role is being played by the state itself (sic).”

The separatist leaders’ kin disassociating themselves from “separatist ideology” is reminiscent of early 1990’s when many of the Valley's political workers had announced their resignations through local newspapers in fear of militants.

While terming such events unacceptable, the firebrand president of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said, “They are harassing families of separatists. Not even sparing their daughters to peddle propaganda by making them disown their families. Even after a brutal crackdown & suppression GOI continues to feel paranoid. Shameless is an understatement for such cowardly actions.”

Ruwa Shah, a former journalist and a vocal critic of Indian state’s policies, had reportedly met J&K police chief R S Swain at his Public Darbar or public outreach programme last month, where she “complained that her passport was impounded by the security agencies.”

The meeting apparently provides context to last week’s nearly simultaneous “public notices” by Ruwa and Sama Shabir. Swain, who has earned praise for being tough against the terror ecosystem, reportedly gave a patient hearing and marked Ruwa’s application for action.

Ruwa’s brother Anees-ul-Islam, who had been reportedly appointed through backdoor during the peak of 2016 summer unrest in Kashmir, was terminated from government services on accusations of being a “threat to the state” in 2021.