Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday sought the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha against the alleged forcible eviction of her party leaders, including former legislators, from their government quarters.
Mehbooba alleged that the administration is selectively targeting PDP leaders and making them vacate their official residences in Srinagar without providing any alternate accommodation.
The former chief minister warned that she would hold the Lt Governor administration responsible if “anything untoward happens” to them.
“I am deeply concerned by the manner in which the administration is selectively targeting PDP leaders and ex-MLAs. At a time when militancy is on the rise yet again, they have been made to vacate their official residences in Srinagar without providing any alternate accommodation,” Mehbooba said in a letter addressed to Sinha.
She said what makes matters worse is that even after the repeated requests of the party leaders to grant them security in villages where they originally reside, these requests have been “declined”.
“The state administration has cited the presence of militants for their refusal to provide security. But the same administration has no qualms in evicting them from secure government accommodations in Srinagar and deliberately putting them in harm’s way,” the PDP chief said in her communication.
“Let me also bring to your notice that the former MLA from PDP Zahoor Mir has been a victim of militancy himself. His father (former MLA Abdul Aziz Mir) was shot dead by militants (December 2002) and he too has been asked to evict his accommodation,” the PDP leader said.
Seeking the intervention of the Lt Governor to take “corrective steps immediately”, Mehbooba said she would like to place it on record that “if anything untoward happens to any of my party men, I would hold this administration responsible”.
