Mehbooba Mufti, Peoples Democratic Party president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, has emerged as the strongest voice against the revocation of Article 370. She has vowed not to contest assembly polls until Jammu and Kashmir’s special status is restored.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Mufti spoke on a range of issues, including why the government has frozen her bank account and blocked her passport. Excerpts:
Q/ Has there been any follow up by the Centre after the prime minister’s meeting with the Gupkar Alliance in June?
A/ No, none at all.
Q/ Where does that leave the prime minister’s statement—on bridging dil ke doori aur Dilli se doori?
A/ The bare minimum expectation was that the government of India would follow this all-party meeting with some confidence-building measures like releasing prisoners, putting an end to the daily farmans (orders) from Delhi that further disempower the people, and ending the rule of suppression to let people breathe easy. But nothing happened. On the contrary, more stringent actions were taken to further terrorise people into submission.
Q/ Why does the PDP believe that the formation of the delimitation commission in Jammu and Kashmir is a sham?
A/ Every action that has followed the illegal and unconstitutional scrapping of our special status has been aimed at weakening the people of J&K further. This delimitation commission, created in a tearing hurry, is no exception. It is to divide J&K further on communal, regional, sectarian and ethnic lines, and thus weaken the position of the majority.
Q/ You are a former chief minister and yet your bank accounts have been frozen, and your passport and that of your mother have been blocked. Do you think it is politically motivated?
A/ It shows how even a former CM is denied fundamental rights. This model of criminalising dissent has been enforced across the country. All Central agencies meant to deal with terror charges and serious corruption cases have been let loose on opposition parties, activists, students, journalists, and so on. Unfortunately, all the institutions that are supposed to uphold the constitutional rights of the people have been Talibanised. They work only to implement the BJP’s divisive agenda
Q/ PDP youth leader Waheed Parra has been charged with terror-funding and having links with militants and Pakistan?
A/ As I said earlier, anyone who dares to go against the BJP’s agenda and narrative is punished for daring to do so. Draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act have become the BJP’s tool to jail opponents. Waheed’s case is no different. Had he agreed to toe its line on J&K and peddled its fake normalcy narrative, he would have been a free man.
Q/ You have repeatedly said that the decisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir that the Centre took on August 5, 2019, will have to be reversed. But history shows that the Centre has not reversed its decisions on J&K since 1947.
A/ History is also filled with examples that show sacrifices and non-violent struggles do not go waste. What matters is our collective will to struggle and resist this onslaught firmly. There was a time when the government of India was ready to negotiate even with militants to resolve the Kashmir issue. But, unfortunately, the stakeholders here at that time felt too powerful to come to the negotiating table. Today the BJP feels the same way, and you never know when the tables will be turned on them. So I feel confident that not only will they have to reverse the August 5 decision, but also do much more for the resolution of the larger issue.
Q/ The BJP says the revocation of Article 370 has integrated J&K with the rest of India and ended the dynastic rule here.
A/ Well, what can I say, the statistics speak for itself. J&K stood far ahead of many other so-called progressive states in terms of development indices. Since the BJP, because of its inept and unsound fiscal policies, couldn’t bring other states up to our standard—be it in poverty alleviation, education, health and development—it has brought J&K down to an abysmal level. As far as dynasties are concerned, I am proud to carry forward the mission of my father and his vision for a progressive J&K.
Q/ Preparations for the assembly polls are on. Will the Gupkar Alliance contest the polls together?
A/ We have not discussed it yet.
Q/ You have said that you would not contest the elections until Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood is restored. But there are now apprehensions that the statehood could be restored without granting much powers. What would be your stand then?
A/ I never said that I would not contest polls till statehood is restored. Rather, I said I wouldn’t contest till our special status that existed before August 5 is restored.
Q/ How do you see the coming together of Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference, the Apni Party and others?
A/ We are living in a democracy only on paper. It is actually getting weakened every passing day. Having said that, everyone has the right to align with whoever they feel is right.
Q/ Many people believe that the PDP’s decision to form a coalition with the BJP in 2015 precipitated the current crisis in J&K.
A/ I believe otherwise. We took a huge risk that came with a huge cost to thwart this tragedy by allying with the BJP. My father had anticipated that, if let free, the BJP would create mischief and go for its ultimate goal. That is why as long as the government lasted they did not dare revoke Article 370.