Jammu: PDP leader Abdul Kabir was arrested on Friday following his statement terming slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani a “martyr” at an event in Kishtwar district, a police officer said.
“He has been arrested by the police. Further process in this regard is on,” Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Sharma told PTI.
Earlier in the day, Kabir courted controversy by calling Wani a “martyr” and questioned certain BJP leaders’ visit to the house of the slain militant and offering the family compensation.
Wani, once a poster boy of militancy in the valley, was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, 2016, in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
“I did not specifically talk about the treatment given to Burhan Wani. What I meant was that when Burhan Wani was martyred or killed, our BJP leaders at the time went to his house and provided compensation to his family. What was the reason? You can understand that yourself,” Kabir told reporters here on the sidelines of a party function on Thursday.
Asked whether it was appropriate to call Burhan Wani, a militant, a martyr, Kabir said the terminology used to describe a person was a separate matter.
“It is our own saying. Whether we call someone a martyr, say they were killed, or use some other term is a separate matter. What is that? We have freedom. We live in a democratic country,” he said.
Asked whether calling Burhan Wani a martyr was his personal opinion, Kabir replied in the affirmative. “Yes, it is personal.”
Kabir said that when the PDP was in power in coalition with the BJP, it kept the saffron party under curbs.
“When the BJP was in a coalition government with us in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014, Mehbooba Mufti did not allow them any breathing space in the government. You know what happened in Burhan Wani’s case. You also know that no one could raise questions about the power projects sold by the National Conference,” he said.
He said Mehbooba Mufti, the then J&K chief minister, did not allow the BJP to even talk about Article 370, let alone revoke it.
“You also know that Mehbooba Mufti completely barred the BJP from speaking about Article 370. She did not allow them to say anything about Article 370. No one had the courage to go against our manifesto,” he said.
Kabir said the BJP stabbed the PDP in the back and brought the government down.
“What we went through and what happened to us afterwards is something all of us have suffered. We will continue to suffer until we remain united, maintain unity among ourselves, fight together, and take this struggle forward,” he said.
The PDP sought to distance itself from the controversy.
Party spokesperson Virender Singh Sonu said Kabir is a leader in the party and not an office-bearer. “It is his personal opinion, not the party’s view,” he said.