Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday criticised the filing of an FIR against sitting Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah Mehdi and former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu, terming the move “egregiously unwarranted and unjust”.
Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday registered cases against Srinagar MP Mehdi and Mattu for allegedly sharing “misleading content” on social media.
Mehbooba demanded that the FIR against the two leaders be withdrawn immediately.
“Just because GOI (Government of India) & NC (National Conference) government in Jammu & Kashmir have chosen to remain silent on the blatant aggression by US and Israel against Iran and the martyrdom of its Supreme Leader doesn’t mean that those who speak out are offenders to be booked under the law,” she said on X.
“The FIR against Aga Ruhullah and Junaid Azim Matoo is egregiously unwarranted and unjust. It must be withdrawn immediately,” she added.
Both Ruhullah and Mattoo have been condemning the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran that began on February 28.
Late on Tuesday, police said the FIRs were filed after receiving “credible inputs” regarding the “circulation of false, fabricated and misleading content across digital and social media platforms with the intent to create fear, disturb public order and incite unlawful activities”. The cases were registered under Sections 197(1)(d) and 353(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Cyber Police Station, Srinagar.
Responding to the FIR, Ruhullah’s office said in a post on X: “The same administration that couldn’t find the courage to condemn a sovereign nation’s leader being martyred now finds the courage to book the one man who did.”
“The people of Srinagar did not elect their MP to recite government-approved condolences. They elected him to speak truth. That mandate does not expire with an FIR,” the post added.
Meanwhile, Mehbooba burnt effigies of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the party headquarters in Srinagar.
Addressing a press conference later, she criticised the leadership in New Delhi for what she described as silence over the recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
She said that while people in J&K expressed grief and anger over the developments, many were detained.
She questioned why the Government of India had neither condemned the attacks nor expressed sympathy, despite what she described as historically strong ties between India and Iran.
Mehbooba expressed regret over what she described as the silence of several Muslim-majority countries amid the ongoing US and Israeli actions against Iran.
She said that countries in the Gulf and the Middle East had neither openly opposed the attacks nor spoken out in support of Iran, and claimed that some were indirectly facilitating the offensive by providing bases or tacit backing to the United States.
She also voiced disappointment over Pakistan’s recent defence agreement with Arab, suggesting the this alignments looks was not against Israel but Iran.
Mehbooba said the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the Valley, stand in solidarity with the people of Iran and “salute their bravery and martyrdom,” adding that the prevailing situation had left many deeply saddened.
She appealed to people not to take the law into their own hands and stressed that protests should remain peaceful.
