Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged on Thursday that she was put under house arrest as the authorities wanted to prevent her from visiting Sopore to offer condolences on the demise of former Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat.
In a post on X, Mufti said the move has exposed the “harsh and undemocratic” reality in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The decision to place the political leadership under house arrest today, simply to stop us from visiting Sopore to offer condolences on the demise of Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, lays bare the harsh and undemocratic reality in Jammu and Kashmir," she said in the long post.
The decision to place the political leadership under house arrest today, simply to stop us from visiting Sopore to offer condolences on the demise of Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, lays bare the harsh and undemocratic reality in Jammu and Kashmir.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) September 18, 2025
What unfolded at Hazratbal Dargah… pic.twitter.com/M0BmZ276oM
Peoples' Conference chief and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone also claimed that he was not allowed to travel to Sopore.
"I have been put under house arrest in order to prevent me from visiting Botingoo, the ancestral village of Proffesor Ghani sahib. I fail to understand what is the need for this. Professor sahib was a pacifist and literally long retired. A final good bye is something which we all deserved," Lone said.
Bhat died at his Sopore residence on Wednesday following a prolonged illness.
Mufti, in her post, referred to the recent controversy over the inclusion of the national emblem on a renovation plaque at the revered Hazratbal mosque in Srinagar, and said the incident was not an isolated one.
“What unfolded at Hazratbal Dargah the eruption of spontaneous, raw public anger was not just an isolated incident. It was a loud, unmistakable message from a people pushed to the edge,” she said.
“The BJP, however, remains willfully blind to this truth refusing to learn anything from the deep anguish and suppressed emotions that have been building for years now,” she further said in her post.
The former chief minister also alleged that the saffron party seems to be determined to keep the region in a constant state of turmoil and to weaponise the pain and unrest for political mileage across the rest of the country.
