Where has rhetoric of 'Dil aur Dilli ki doori khatam karni hai' gone, asks Mehbooba

Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday alleged that the state was treating people of Jammu and Kashmir as “enemies which has no parallel in the world.”

Mehbooba, a former chief minister, claimed she was put under house detention by the police ahead of her visit to Surankote in Poonch to meet the families of the three civilians, who died allegedly during questioning by security forces after militants ambushed two Army vehicles last week.

“There are very perturbing reports coming in from Poonch. They have not only taken people in custody from one particular area but people from Thana Mandi, Pargai and adjoining hamlets are also being bundled. Such is the harsh treatment that many are in critical conditions in hospitals,” she said in a statement to the media.

The firebrand PDP president said by detaining her, the government wants to “send a message that people of Jammu and Kashmir have no voice, and no one to inquire about.”

“The government wants to send a message all across to the already disenfranchised people of Jammu and Kashmir that you have no-one who could make a query about your welfare. We will torture you, but won't allow anyone to mitigate your sufferings—such a great injustice, what can be worse than this?” she questioned.

Mehbooba said a boy named Farooq from Thana Mandi Pargai is stuck in the struggle between life and death in a hospital. “In 2005, militants attacked him, killing five members of his family. What more sacrifice can a person give for the country?” she asked.

“Now they (army) have arrested him and tortured him to the extent that he is currently struggling for life in the hospital,” she alleged.

The PDP chief said the “heart-wrenching situations are changing the equations” saying the “rhetoric of ‘Dil aur Dilli ki doori khatam karna hai’ has gone”.

“They (army) beat people, torture them in custody, make a video, and circulate it. It is common sense that a civilian can’t make a video inside the army custody and circulate it. They want to convey this message to all people that this is what we are capable of doing. How much fear do they want to instill in all of us?” Mehbooba asked.