Flags censorship on RK, KL, GK
Srinagar, Mar 04: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday sought releasing of detainees arrested during protests in Kashmir against killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Mehbooba said that for the past several days, the United States and Israel had been carrying out strikes in Iran, while it’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during the attacks.
“India once shared strong ties with Iran. When sanctions were imposed on us, Iran supported India with oil supplies. Today, the global order appears to be in complete disarray,” she said.
Mehbooba expressed concern over the arrest of protesters. “When people came out to express solidarity with Iran, several were detained. Some girls from the Shalteng area were also arrested,” she alleged.
She also demanded the immediate withdrawal of cases registered against National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu.
Jammu and Kashmir Police had booked the two leaders for allegedly sharing “false, fabricated and misleading content” on digital platforms.
“I request that all those arrested be released and that the cases against Ruhullah and others be withdrawn,” she said, while also urging people to maintain calm and protest peacefully. “Do not take the law into your hands,” she appealed.
During the press briefing, the PDP chief symbolically torched posters of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, underscoring her protest against the strikes.
The developments come amid heightened political sensitivities in the Valley, where expressions of solidarity over international conflicts have triggered legal and administrative action in recent days.
She also raised the alleged censorship of newspapers including Rising Kashmir, Kashmir Life and other newspapers and demanded lifting of a ban on the social media pages of these newspapers.
