Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 19: Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti today urged the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to stop arrests linked to people associated with Jamaat-e-Islami, saying people in the Union Territory “should not be treated like this.”
Speaking to reporters in Kulgam after paying condolences to the family of a former Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Sheikh Ghulam Hassan Mufti described the deceased as “not only the ex-chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, but also a great Islamic scholar.
“He had a great personality among the people who passed away. His popularity can be estimated from the fact that thousands of people attended his funeral,” she said.
The PDP Chief said some people attending the funeral may have made emotional remarks, but maintained there was “no anti-nationalism.”
“I am sorry to say that people who attended his funeral were emotional. Some people may have said things that were not in our favour, but there was no anti-nationalism. I have heard that many people have been arrested,” she said.
Mufti said dialogue should remain open in Jammu and Kashmir. “I think this is wrong. On the one hand, the senior leaders of the RSS say that we should talk to Pakistan. People should have a voice. Dialogue should be open,” Mufti said.
Referring to Jamaat-e-Islami, the former Chief Minister said the organization had contributed to education in Jammu and Kashmir despite ideological differences.
“On the other hand, the Jamaat-e-Islami, which is based here in Jammu and Kashmir, has an ideology of its own. We may not agree with that. They have given schools here. They have given good education to children,” she said.
Mufti appealed to the administration to halt arrests and alleged harassment linked to the organization. “I request the Government, whether it is the Centre or the U.T. Government or the LG Government, to stop this kind of arrests. People of Jammu and Kashmir should not be treated like this, whether they are Jamaat-e-Islami or not. We should not treat them like this,” she said.
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