“3,000 arrests, 100 PSA detentions”: Mehbooba Mufti questions indiscriminate crackdown in Valley post-Pahalgam attack

Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party chief and former Jammu and Kahsmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has questioned the “indiscriminate crackdown” carried out by several security agencies in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack.

In a letter to LG Manoj Sinha on Tuesday, Mufti claimed that a “collective punishment” was being imposed on the people with “over 3,000 arrests and nearly 100 Public Safety Act (PSA) detentions.”

“Such numbers are alarming and don’t reflect justice but rather a collective form of punishment. This approach not only risks alienating families and communities but also begs the question: where will all this lead us to?” she questioned.

While highlighting the response by the Kashmiris against Pahalgam attack, she said, “However, the response from various security agencies that has followed appears less like a focused investigation and more like a sweeping and indiscriminate crackdown.”

She went on to say: “While we are all unequivocally in favour of justice, the actions currently being undertaken amount to mass retribution. No democratic and responsible society can or should accept such treatment of its own people. I have long maintained that the people of Kashmir have extended a hand of goodwill. But it is now for the rest of the nation to respond in kind. It is deeply disheartening that the actions of a few terrorists are now determining how security agencies respond to the situation & go on a spree of arrests of innocent civilians.”

With the Amarnath Yatra approaching, Mufti urged the LG to intervene, calling for an end to the ongoing policy of arrests and punitive measures, and appealed for the release of innocent individuals.

“With the Shri Amarnath Yatra approaching, I humbly request your urgent intervention to put an end to this policy of arrests, punitive measures and ensure release of innocents. Let the people of Kashmir breathe easy and prepare to welcome the Yatris with the warmth and hospitality they are well recognized for,” she said.