Srinagar, Dec 26: Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday expressed serious concern over the continued detention of a large number of Kashmiri undertrials in jails outside the Valley, saying the issue has devastated families both emotionally and financially.

Addressing a press conference, Mehbooba said families of detainees are suffering immensely as they cannot afford frequent travel to distant prisons to meet their loved ones. She said many households are barely able to meet daily expenses, making such visits impossible.

Mehbooba said she had written in February to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police seeking details about the number of detainees and undertrials lodged outside Kashmir, but no response was received. She said letters were subsequently sent to the Union Home Minister and the Home Secretary requesting the transfer of undertrials to jails within Kashmir, but the appeals yielded no outcome.

She as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said the matter was then taken to court through a public interest litigation, but termed it shocking that the plea was rejected after being given a political colour. Mehbooba said a politician remains closely connected to ground realities and questioned why the court did not take suo motu cognisance of the issue even after rejecting the PIL.

“Why does the court not want to know why undertrials are languishing in jails for years without conviction,” she asked, adding that it was unrealistic to expect poor families to approach courts when they struggle to make ends meet.

Referring to statements made by the Prime Minister, the President and a former Chief Justice of India, Mehbooba said even at the national level it has been acknowledged that nearly 76 percent of prisoners are undertrials. She questioned what options remain for ordinary people if such issues are not addressed.

Mehbooba said there were expectations that the formation of a government would lead to resolution of this sensitive humanitarian issue, but expressed disappointment over the lack of progress. She said the absence of elected MPs from Kashmir has further compounded the problem, adding that parliamentarians like Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and Mian Altaf Ahmad could have sought official data on undertrials, but that did not happen.

She said she had also requested Omar Abdullah to constitute a team to visit various jails outside the Valley to ascertain the number and condition of Kashmiri undertrials lodged there.

Reiterating her stand, Mehbooba said the demand was limited to transferring those detainees who have not been convicted back to jails in Kashmir. She described the court’s decision as unfortunate but asserted that her party would continue to pursue the matter.

“We have seen the suffering of these families. We have the right to raise this issue and we will not budge,” she said, adding that the struggle would continue until the matter reaches its logical conclusion.

Srinagar, Dec 26: J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday rebuffed the senior National Conference (NC) leader and MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on the reservation issue in government jobs and professional colleges in J&K.

In his strongest reaction to the MP’s statements on reservation, Abdullah said: “I am not afraid of anyone’s threats, nor will I take any wrong decision under pressure. I don’t know what you think of yourself.”

The Chief Minister said matters like the reservation policy cannot be settled through intimidation or street pressure and must be addressed within the constitutional and legal framework after proper consultation with all the stakeholders.

His strong response came after Ruhullah Mehdi recently warned the government that if it fails to engage with protesting students by December 27, he would personally join their agitation.

The MP has been constantly blaming the NC’s top leadership for having failed to fulfil promises made to the people in the 2024 election manifesto that brought the party to power in J&K.

Friday’s developments have brought the relationship between Omar Abdullah, who is also the Vice President of the NC, and Ruhullah Mehdi into a face-off.

In order to increase the reservation quota for open merit candidates in J&K to 40 per cent, the state cabinet, headed by Omar Abdullah, has recommended slashing down the reservation quota under the Resident of Backward Area (RBA) by 3 per cent and that under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) society by 7 per cent.

Once approved by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, the overall reservation for various categories in government jobs and professional colleges would be 60 per cent, while the remaining 40 per cent would be available to the open merit candidates in the UT.

At present, SCs and Other Backward Classes (OBC) have 8 per cent quota each, STs 20 per cent, EWS and RBA 10 per cent, and and residents of area adjoining the actual Line of Control/International Border (ALC/IB) 4 per cent. Besides, there is a 10 per cent horizontal reservation, including six per cent to ex-servicemen and four per cent to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

Srinagar, Dec 26: Peoples Democratic party (PDP) leader AND MLA Pulwama, Waheed Para on Friday said that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq removed the APHC tag as an act of peace and the act must not be “weaponized” against him. Para implied that by removing his designation as ‘Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference’ from his verified X profile, Mirwaiz chose peace over rigidity.

Providing an anecdote from Islamic history, MLA Pulwama said “in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ agreed to erase the words “Muhammad-ur-Rasoolullah”—the very foundation of the Kalima—solely in the interest of peace.” Adding that “History remembers this not as compromise, but as wisdom, foresight, and moral courage”.

He said that those who are attacking and trolling him for this decision are deliberately trying to undermine him, making his path harder despite the extraordinary challenges he has endured and the supreme sacrifice of his father.

In a post on X, Waheed Para wrote, “In the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ agreed to erase the words “Muhammad-ur-Rasoolullah”—the very foundation of the Kalima—solely in the interest of peace. History remembers this not as compromise, but as wisdom, foresight, and moral courage.”

He added, “If Mirwaiz Kashmir has removed the APHC tag as an act of peace, it must never be weaponized against him. Choosing peace over rigidity is not weakness; it is leadership.”

“Mirwaiz has acted within the framework of law and circumstances. Those attacking and trolling him for this decision are deliberately trying to undermine him, making his path harder despite the extraordinary challenges he has endured and the supreme sacrifice of his father. Such attacks do not serve justice or peace, they only deepen division.” He concluded the post.

Srinagar, Dec 26, KDC: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has taken a strong note of an assault on a Kashmiri seasonal Shawl Seller in Uttarakhand, making it unequivocally clear that such acts against Kashmiri shawl sellers will not be tolerated at any cost.

A top official from the Ministry of Home Affairs said that “MHA has taken strong note of the incident and has made it clear that such acts against Kashmiri shawl sellers will not be tolerated at any cost.” Kashmiri traders are equal Indian citizens, constitutionally entitled to work anywhere in India, he said.

According to officials, on the afternoon of Monday, December 22, 2025, Bilal Ahmad Ganie (28), a shawl seller from Kupwara, Kashmir, was intercepted in the Kashipur area of Udham Singh Nagar district while conducting door-to-door sales to support his family during the harsh winter months.

Bilal, a seasonal shawl seller in Uttarakhand for over eight years, has been working in the state for more than eight winters, carrying out business for over eight years, and was known locally as a peaceful and non-disruptive trading presence.

Police said the primary accused, Ankur Singh, a local Bajrang Dal leader, allegedly led a group of five men who hounded and assaulted Bilal, subjecting him to physical violence, verbal abuse, death threats, and intimidation. During the attack, the victim was forcibly coerced into chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” and was also pressured into raising “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogans while being assaulted, they said.

The case initially faced informal settlement pressure, with an attempted compromise through a “mafinama” (apology letter) at Goshala Police Chowki, causing a delay in formal registration. However, after a viral video of the assault sparked public outrage and condemnation, the matter escalated to New Delhi, following which the MHA issued a strong directive to the Uttarakhand administration to ensure strict rule of law enforcement, said an official.

The intervention acted as a decisive catalyst, prompting the Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP), Deepam Seth, and the Governor to place the case on top priority, triggering a full-scale crackdown on the accused and involved elements.

Following the MHA’s directive and public condemnation, law enforcement agencies launched a rapid, coordinated operation, resulting in the arrest of three accused persons so far, with further raids and detentions expected as the probe widens, the official said.

He said that an FIR No. 517/2025 has been registered under Sections 191(2), 115(2), 351(3), 352, 304, 62, 292, and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The sections invoked include charges related to criminal intimidation, hurt, assault, threat to life, coercion, and abusive/objectionable acts, reflecting the seriousness of the offence.

Officials said that no pressure or settlement attempt will derail the prosecution, and that the investigation will proceed strictly on merit to determine the full sequence of events, additional accused, and liability under law.

A senior police official said the case will be investigated in a mission-mode, adding that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure that justice is delivered transparently and expeditiously. (KDC)