Srinagar, Sep 19
People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone on Friday strongly questioned former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s decision to write a letter to Union Home Minister regarding jailed separatist leader Yasin Malik. Addressing reporters at a press conference, Lone alleged that Mehbooba’s stand was politically motivated and contradicted her own record while in power.
Lone said he was surprised at the timing of Mehbooba Mufti’s intervention. “I want to ask Mehbooba Mufti why she is writing this letter to the Home Minister. On what basis? When she was in power, why did she not take any action? Now that she is out of power, she is creating this drama,” Lone stated.
He recalled that Mehbooba Mufti’s own sister had earlier identified Yasin Malik in connection with cases. “One day her relative identified Malik, and the next day she writes to Delhi for him. This exposes her double standards,” he remarked.
The People’s Conference leader said that it was during the rule of the Muftis and the Abdullahs that most cases were filed against separatist leaders. “All the then rulers of Kashmir including Dr. Farooq Abdullah were the ones who made cases against separatists, including Yasin Malik. Both families, Muftis and Abdullahs, have punished us all,” he asserted.
Lone further said that Mehbooba was repeating the same pattern in the case of religious leader Sarjan Barkati. “It was during her tenure that Barkati was slapped with 64 cases. Today she is demanding his release. This is nothing but political opportunism. She should stop being an all-rounder and choose one side,” he said.
Commenting on Yasin Malik’s political trajectory, Lone acknowledged that the separatist leader had once given up violence and believed in dialogue. “When Yasin Malik said no to violence, it was a big deal. He believed in dialogue, but perhaps the state has forgotten this now. Yasin himself has said that if the state wants to hang him, it can,” Lone added.
He noted that all previous governments, including those led by mainstream parties, had engaged separatists through back-channel dialogues. “The state promised something to Yasin but did something else. Back-channel talks were always an option, and everyone knew it,” he said.
The People’s Conference chairman said he hoped Malik would not face the death penalty but added that nothing would surprise him given the prevailing atmosphere. He also expressed concern over the deteriorating health of separatist leader Shabir Shah.
Taking a dig at Mehbooba’s political positioning, Lone said she was trying to please Delhi while confusing the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Mehbooba Mufti wants to keep Delhi happy and at the same time mislead the people here. This is her politics,” Lone charged.
Concluding his remarks, Lone said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had suffered for decades under successive regimes of both the Muftis and the Abdullahs. He cautioned against what he described as Mehbooba’s attempts to use sensitive issues for political mileage ahead of elections. [KNT]
