CM Omar Abdullah asks Mehbooba to apologise over Jantar Mantar remarks

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that the former CM and president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, should apologise for her remarks about the use of force in Jantar Mantar rather than blaming it on an AI-generated video.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar accused Mehbooba of attempting to appease certain sections outside Jammu and Kashmir and refusing to acknowledge what she had said despite widespread criticism.

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The controversy against Mehbooba was triggered after she visited the protests at Jantar Mantar on 23 July to extend support to the Cockroach Janata Party-led protest against alleged examination irregularities. While opposing police action against student protesters in Delhi, she appeared to defend the use of pellet guns in the valley in the past, saying it was different in Kashmir as the security forces were fighting militancy.

Omar alleged that Mehbooba’s remarks justified and even advocated the use of force in the Kashmir Valley. She should have stayed home instead of going to Jantar Mantar and justifying the use of force against Kashmiris, and that she should apologise for her remarks.

“Irresponsible” statements made by people who have been in a position of power can act as a deterrent for ordinary people to fight for their rights, Omar said.
The CM said that while militancy remains a challenge, it cannot justify arbitrary actions against ordinary people. “If there is militancy here, that does not mean there should be random arrests or that passports should be withheld”.

Hitting out at Mehbooba, Omar said, “She has not forgotten the habit of saying one thing here and another in Delhi”.

Referring to the controversy surrounding the video of Mehbooba Mufti’s speech, Omar Abdullah said she would not have lost any political stature had she admitted her mistake and apologise publicly.

“Instead of apologising, one of her MLAs claimed the video was AI-generated. Everyone saw that reel. She should have accepted that what she said was not correct”, he said. Omar further alleged that Mehbooba Mufti had rarely expressed remorse over controversial political decisions in the past.

He referred to the PDP’s alliance with the BJP in 2014 as well as other controversial remarks associated with her political career, saying she has neither apologised nor expressed regret over those episodes.

“She did not go to Jantar Mantar for Jammu and Kashmir. But she went there and justified the misuse of power and force on the pretext of fighting militancy”.
On detention of about 2500 people following the killing of a policeman in Anantnag last week, Omar said the travesty is Mehbooba justifying the use of harassment as a tool for fighting militancy.

“Our problem is that this is what Mehbooba Mufti is justifying. When responsible people ignore ground realities, such things happen. On one hand, we raise our voice against these detentions and on the other she goes to the centre of the country and justifies it”, the CM said.

The chief minister said he opposes detentions because militancy cannot be ended without the support of the people. “We might be able to control it to some extent, but we will need the support of people to cover that last mile. If we continue to bulldoze houses, arrest people and oppress people, they will not support us,” he said.