Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said the exercise seeking granular information about mosques in the Valley and the people who run them was an attempt to “terrorise Kashmiri Muslims.”
Speaking to reporters, Mehbooba said that if such measures were necessary, they should be implemented uniformly across all religions.
“The latest order issued regarding mosques amounts to interference in our religion. If such measures have to be implemented, they should start with other religions as well. Why are we being targeted?” she asked.
Mehbooba questioned why similar scrutiny was not being extended to temples, gurdwaras and churches.
“Let them find out who is the head priest in every temple, which temples allow which priests, where Dalits are allowed to go and where Brahmins are allowed, and how much money is charged for entry…,” she said.
The J&K police has initiated an exercise profiling the mosque across valley and also seeking information about the people associated with the mosques, including their financial status, and bank, passport, ATM and credit card details. The exercise has drawn sharp criticism from several politicians and Muttahida Majlis Ulama, a conglomerate of religious organisations of J&K.
The PDP chief said details about mosques in Jammu and Kashmir, including land records and locations, are already available with authorities, but now personal profiling of imams and molvis was being sought.
“They are asking for photographs, Aadhaar cards and complete profiling. The intention is to distance Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir from their religion and intimidate them,” she alleged.
She claimed that mosque committees were worried and clerics felt “terrorised” by the detailed five-page forms.
“Imams and preachers are being treated like overground workers… Mosques are being turned into crime scenes by demanding information about donations and their sources,” she said.
Mehbooba expressed apprehension that such measures might later be extended to other parts of the country. She also questioned the inclusion of sect-related questions in the forms, asking, “What do they have to do with sects”
Targeting the Omar Abdullah government, Mehbooba said they remain silent on the issue. “Unfortunately, our government is silent. They do not talk about it. Whenever they fail, they simply blame the PDP and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. They have no real answers,” she said.
