Mehbooba Mufti

Budget 2024 gets mixed reactions from politicians and industry experts

Won't contest Assembly elections till Article 370 is restored: Mehbooba

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday vowed not to contest assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir till Article 370 is restored, saying it be might a "foolish" decision, but the issue is an "emotional" one for her. In an interview with PTI here, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also said that assembly elections are not happening in the Union Territory as the Centre is "scared" that if there is an elected government, then it will not be able to pursue its "hidden agenda". The Centre in 2019 had abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and divided it into two Union Territories -- J-K and Ladakh. "I am never going to participate in assembly elections as long as Article 370 is not restored. Whenever I took oath as a member of the assembly, it was under two Constitutions -- the J-K Constitution and the Constitution of India, with two flags at the same time. Maybe it is foolish on my part, but, it is a more of an emotional

PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti welcomes opening of Sharda Devi temple in J-K

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday welcomed the opening of the Sharda Devi Temple near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. She also expressed hope of resumption of cross-LoC trade. This is very good. We have always been saying that we need to engage, reconcile and resolve things. The opening of Sharda temple is a very good thing. It is something that the Kashmiri Pandits were looking forward to, they really wanted it to be opened, Mehbooba told reporters here. Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah e-inaugurated the Mata Sharda Devi temple in Karnah sector of the north Kashmir district. The PDP chief expressed hope that the opening of the temple will not be restricted to pilgrimage, but it will go beyond that. "I also hope that the business which was conducted on Muzaffarabad Road and Rawalakot road, that also is resumed, she said, referring to the now suspended cross-LoC trade on Uri-Muzaffarabad, and Poonch-Rawalakot routes.

BJP putting Opposition leaders in jail is similar to Pak does: Mehbooba

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said like the ruling party in Pakistan is trying to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan, the BJP-led central government here is misusing central agencies to put opposition leaders in jail. Speaking at the party headquarters here, the former chief minister said she is concerned about the difficulties being faced by people in the aftermath of the revocation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories in August 2019. "Nothing new is happening in Pakistan...

Mehbooba welcomes Army court suggestion in Amshipura encounter case

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti Monday welcomed an Army court's decision to recommend life imprisonment for a captain of the force in connection with the killing of three labourers in a "staged" encounter in Amshipura area of Shopian district in 2020. She expressed hope that an impartial probe would also be ordered into the Lawaypora and Hyderpora encounters that took place in 2021. Retweeting a news report on the development, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said, "Recommended punishment of life imprisonment for Captain involved in Amshipora fake encounter is a welcome step towards creating accountability in such cases. Hope an impartial probe is also ordered in Lawapora and Hyderpora encounters to prevent the repetition of such ghastly incidents (sic)." Completing general court-martial proceedings in less than a year, an Army court has recommended life imprisonment for a captain in connection with the killing of three men in a "staged" encounter in Amshipura in south Kashm

Imposition of property tax in Jammu and Kashmir anti-people move: NC, PDP

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday charged that the imposition of property tax in Jammu and Kashmir was part of the BJP's larger agenda of impoverishing the people of the union territory. The real aim is to make people of Jammu and Kashmir so poor that they don't demand anything. Look at the rest of the country, 80 crore people are getting free ration. They don't ask for jobs or cheaper fuel. They just wait for the five kg grain so that they can feed their kids. They want to bring J-K also to the same level. This is part of a larger agenda to bury people of J-K, she told reporters at the PDP office here. People just have to refuse to pay the tax peacefully, she added. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday issued a notification for imposition of property tax in the union territory which will come into effect from the next financial year. The PDP president said the economy and development indices of Jammu and Kashmir were better than some o

Mehbooba writes to EAM Jaishankar, seeks his help in getting her passport

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday sought External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's intervention for her passport, saying she has been waiting for it for the past three years to take her 80-year-old mother on a pilgrimage to Mecca. In a letter to the minister, she said her passport's renewal has been pending as the Jammu and Kashmir CID gave an adverse report that issuing the travel document to her would undermine national security. Mehbooba also highlighted the delay in issuing of passport to her daughter Iltija who wants to pursue higher studies outside the country. "I am writing to you about a matter that has dragged on needlessly for the last three years, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said and added that "my mother (Gulshan Nazir) and I applied for passport renewal in March 2020". "J&K CID gave an adverse report that issuing passports to my 80-year-old mother and me would undermine national security. In J&K, it has become the norm to arbitrarily reject ...

People realised after demolitions how Article 370 protected J&K: Mehbooba

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have now come to realise how Article 370 of the Constitution acted as a protective shield for them, after the BJP-led government used bulldozers to demolish houses and businesses of the poor. She also defended her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's decision to join hands with the BJP to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir after the 2014 Assembly polls, saying the PDP patriarch had successfully "caged the beast". "When Article 370 was abrogated, some people thought it would only affect the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC). When the bulldozers came to demolish our homes, businesses and even the shelters for our domestic animals, people realised how Article 370 was a protection for us," Mufti said at a function of her party here. Defending Sayeed's decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for government formation after the 2014 Assembly polls, the former Jammu an

Centre using J-K to divert attention from Adani issue, says Mehbooba Mufti

Criticising the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Centre of using Jammu and Kashmir to divert attention of the country from pressing issues such as unemployment and the Adani row. "To divert the attention from the Adani issue and the damage it has done to the economy of the country, they (BJP) don't get anything better than Jammu and Kashmir, like demolition drive," Mehbooba told reporters here. Asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's comments about the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief minister said, "They do not make statements, they make jumlas." "He himself said the promises of two crore jobs and Rs 15 lakh in every bank account were election jumla (rhetoric)," she said. Mehbooba said Shah was the first home minister in the history of independent India who turned a state into a Union territory. On the demolition drive, she said the BJP earlier used to brand the people of Jammu and ..

J-K anti-encroachment drive: Police stop Mehbooba's protest march to Parl

Police prevented PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti from taking out a march to Parliament here on Wednesday to protest against an ongoing anti-encroachment drive in Jammu and Kashmir. Accompanied by scores of party workers, Mehbooba planned to march from Railway Bhawan to Parliament, where she wanted to inform opposition parties about the Jammu and Kashmir administration's "bulldozer policy". However, police detained the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, and took her and her party workers to Jantar Mantar. The protesters dispersed from Jantar Mantar. "We had come to inform the public, opposition parties and members of the ruling BJP about the misery faced by the public at large in Jammu and Kashmir. "If we can't go to Parliament, I wonder where we should go then. Does the government want us to get our grievances redressed at the United Nations," Mehbooba asked. There is no rule of law that can be seen in Jammu and Kashmir and "we came all the way to Delhi to speak our hearts out. But

Not a people-friendly Union Budget, says PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti

The Union Budget is not people-friendly as it has been prepared keeping in mind the interests of a few businessmen, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged on Wednesday. Talking to reporters here, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is the same as the ones presented by the BJP-led government over the last eight-nine years. "Taxes have increased and money is not being spent on welfare schemes or subsidies. Taxes are being amassed for their crony capitalists. The taxes imposed should have benefitted the people, but they have broken their backs. "Rather than benefitting people, welfare schemes and subsidies are being done away with. The situation in the country is such that those who had risen above the poverty line have again fallen below it," Mufti said. She alleged that the budget has been prepared for "a few businessmen". "This is not for the people of India, not for the poor," the

Mehbooba Mufti joins Bharat Jodo Yatra as it resumes from Awantipora in J-K

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday joined the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led Bharat Jodo Yatra that resumed from the Chersoo village in Awantipora after being cancelled on Friday.

Vaishno Devi, Amarnath at risk of environmental disaster: Mehbooba Mufti

Joshimath is just the tip of the iceberg. In similar ecologically fragile states like J&K, Shri Amarnath & Vaishno Devi are environmental disasters in waiting

J&K unit of BJP hits out at PDP chief for making remarks on national flag

Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP on Sunday hit out at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti for her remarks that the ruling party at the Centre would replace the national flag with a saffron one, saying the Tricolour was the country's pride and whoever looks at it with an evil eye will be dealt sternly. The party's J-K unit spokesman Altaf Thakur said the BJP's mantra is 'nation first, party second, and self-third. "Mufti is once again day-dreaming and perhaps far from the reality that Indian flag is flying high and every Indian is feeling proud to be part of BJP," Thakur said. He said had that not been the case, there would not have been over 300 MPs of the BJP in the Parliament, which is the absolute majority. Taking a jibe at Mufti, Thakur said for the BJP, the mantra is nation first, party second and self-third and there is no question of changing flag or constitution, which is the country's pride. "The fact is that whosoever looks at the flag with an evil eye, will be dealt sternly," he ...

BJP govt failed to handle J & K situation, says PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti

The BJP government has failed to control the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and is now arming locals to further its agenda of creating a wedge between communities, People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Thursday. "Arming people with weapons will only serve the BJP's agenda of creating an atmosphere of fear, suspicion and hatred. It will pit one community against the other," Mehbooba said. Mehbooba was speaking to reporters in Anantnag district after paying obeisance at the grave of her father, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and People's Democratic Party (PDP) founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The move to provide arms and ammunition to Village Defence Committees in wake of the Rajouri attack has exposed the BJP's claims that the situation has become normal in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, she said. Mehbooba, also a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, added, "If that were the case, why bring more security personnel into Jammu and

Basic rights in India have become luxuries, entitlements: Mehbooba to CJI

Basic rights in the country have now become luxuries" and "entitlements bestowed upon only those who toe the government's line on political, social and religious matters, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday. In a letter to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, she also alleged that the trust deficit and growing alienation has only widened in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. I write to you with a deep sense of concern and worry about the prevailing situation in the country especially J-K. Your recent observations on the inability of lower judiciary to grant bail in ordinary cases in a functioning democracy as ours should have been adopted as a directive rather than just being consigned to a single column story churned out in newspapers, Mufti said in the letter posted on her Twitter handle. Speaking at the inauguration of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Academy on Friday, CJI Chandrachud had said that over 63 lakh cases

It's my duty: Mehbooba Mufti accepts Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra invite

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said that she will join the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra when it reaches the Union Territory next month for a "better India".Accepting the the Congress's invitation to join the Yatra, the PDP chief said that it is her "duty to stand with someone who has the courage to challenge fascist forces"."I've been formally invited to join Rahul Gandhi ji for his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir today. Salute his indomitable courage & I believe it is my duty to stand with someone who has the courage to challenge fascist forces. Will be joining him in his march towards a better India, Mufti said in a tweet.The Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra will reach Jammu and Kashmir on January 20.National Conference president Farooq Abdullah is also expected to join Rahul Gandhi during the march.Bharat Jodo Yatra on December 24 entered the national capital. The yatra, which has covered so far covered 10 ...

Mehbooba Mufti to join Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said she will be joining the Kashmir leg of the "Bharat Jodo Yatra" spearheaded by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "I've been formally invited to join @RahulGandhi ji for his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir today. Salute his indomitable courage and I believe it is my duty to stand with someone who has the courage to challenge fascist forces. Will be joining him in his march towards a better India," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said in a tweet. National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah is also expected to take part in the yatra when it enters Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP govt has failed to protect Kashmiri Pandits, says PDP chief Mufti

Peoples' Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday accused the BJP of "exploiting the pain and suffering" of Kashmiri Pandits and said the government had failed to protect the minority community in Kashmir. "This government has failed to protect Kashmiri Pandits. It is only exploiting the pain and suffering of the community for its own benefits. It is not serious about their problems," Mufti told reporters at Qazigund in Anantnag district. Commenting on the leakage of a list of Kashmiri Pandit employees posted in Kashmir, she said it was unfortunate that such information was being made public. "It is unfortunate that despite BJP ruling both at the Centre and in Jammu and Kashmir, it is not taking any decision on the issues of Kashmiri Pandits, who have been on the road for the past six months now in Jammu," she said. Mufti said on one hand the Kashmiri Pandits were being asked to report for work, while their details were being leaked on the other. "The government should tel

Delhi HC allows Mehbooba Mufti to withdraw plea challenging PMLA provision

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday permitted PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti to withdraw her petition challenging the constitutional validity of a provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The lawyer appearing for the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister told a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad about her decision to withdraw the petition which was filed in March 2021. The petition also challenged the summons issued to her by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case and sought a stay which the court had earlier declined. The court was informed the issues raised by the petitioner have already been addressed by the Supreme Court in a decision. Mufti had in her plea sought declaring section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act void and inoperative, being unfairly discriminatory, bereft of safeguards, and violative of Article 20(3) of the Constitution. Section 50 of the Act empowers the ED authority to summon