'Clouds of darkness', Mehbooba's daughter on Kashmir

Iltija Javed, the daughter of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, has said in an open letter that Kashmir has been engulfed in "clouds of darkness" ever since the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated and feared for the safety of Kashmiris.

In the open letter purportedly written by Iltija, she said that she was also detained despite being a law-abiding citizen and hope that she was not punished for raising questions about her fundamental rights.

"Kashmir is engulfed in clouds of darkness and I fear for the safety of its people including those who spoke up. We Kashmiris are reeling in despair since the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August, 2019," she said.

Iltija said that her mother Mehbooba was detained, along with scores of other elected representatives, the very same day and it has been over 10 "long agonising days since this crippling curfew was imposed".

"The valley is gripped with fear because all forms of communication have been snapped thereby debilitating an entire population. Today while the rest of the country celebrates India's Independence Day, Kashmiris have been caged like animals & deprived of basic human rights," she said in the letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Iltija, however, said in the letter that she could not post the letter as the postal service was not functioning in the Kashmir Valley.