Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti alleged on Friday, 7 August that she and her party are being systematically harassed because the PDP is the only political party in J&K openly demanding the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A. The allegation came as Mufti staged a protest in Srinagar after police summoned her daughter, Iltija Mufti, for questioning in a case linked to an alleged assault on a uniformed officer.

The FIR Against Iltija Mufti

Kothibagh police station in Srinagar registered an FIR on 5 August accusing Iltija Mufti of assaulting a policeman on duty during a protest she was holding to mark the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. A group of PDP workers attempted to accompany Iltija to the police station but were stopped midway. Iltija ultimately proceeded to Kothibagh police station alone on Friday.

What Mehbooba Mufti Said

Speaking to reporters, Mehbooba Mufti alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have made the PDP their 'prime target' because of its position on Articles 370 and 35A. 'Every attempt was made to break our party. We were harassed and intimidated,' she said, questioning why only the PDP's protest march was stopped while those of the National Conference and the Congress for statehood restoration were not.

Mufti also cited remarks attributed to former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief A.S. Dulat, who reportedly stated two days prior that Farooq Abdullah is the biggest leader of J&K and that Abdullah's only regret was that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not take him into confidence before the abrogation. She further quoted Dulat as saying on record that Farooq Abdullah told him he 'would have helped smoother abrogation of Article 370.'

Mufti's Critique of the National Conference

Mufti drew a pointed historical contrast, alluding to the late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah — founder of the National Conference — who she claimed said in 1981 that 'Article 370 is no Quranic verse which cannot be changed' and that it would be abrogated if it stood in the way of J&K's development. 'What the tallest leader of the National Conference said in 1981 was implemented in 2019,' she said, in an apparent effort to undercut the NC's current pro-370 credentials.

Protest Blocked, March Confined

The PDP's attempt to take its protest march through the streets of Srinagar was disallowed by authorities. Party leaders and workers were confined to the PDP headquarters on Residency Road in the uptown area of the city. Mufti also alleged that on 5 July, while other political leaders were protesting for statehood restoration, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chose to visit Poonch and Rajouri districts of the Jammu region, apparently to avoid taking a public position on the issue.

With the PDP doubling down on its demand for constitutional restoration and the police action against Iltija Mufti drawing renewed attention, the political temperature in the Kashmir Valley is likely to remain elevated in the days ahead.