“I write to you with a deep sense of disappointment and concern about the alarming situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Not too long ago when you presided over an all-party meeting in Delhi you expressed your intention to remove “dill ke doori “between Delhi and J&K,” the letter reads.
Mehbooba added that in her capacity as the President of PDP she suggested a few Confidence Building Measures that would have provided a sense of relief and breathing space to the people of J&K.
“We had been waiting for the rollout of a policy to address the hearts and minds of people especially youth. While the spree of raids, arrests, killings continue unabated the level of repression and state intolerance has touched a new low,” the letter reads.
In her letter she further said that there were expectations that HM’s recent visit to J&K would have led to a meaningful reach out. Especially after his statement about engaging with the youth here. “Instead what followed was shocking and worrying. A friendly cricket match between India and Pakistan that was solely a source of entertainment for people here bruised by incessant lockdowns, Internet gag and restriction of movement led to booking youngsters under the draconian UAPA for simply choosing to cheer the winning side.”
“Our brightest young people pursuing professional courses like MBBS have been targeted and slapped with anti terror laws. While within Kashmir youth are no strangers to the state excesses, three students in Agra too have been arrested and charged with sedition for the same reasons. This despite the college’s own admission that they didn’t engage in any activity that might be construed as anti-national.”
