PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday slammed Pakistan for stopping the construction of a temple, claiming that this was unethical and against the spirit of the Islamic welfare state.
Iltija tweets
In a tweet by her daughter Iltija Mufti, who handles her mother’s account after the latter was jailed on August 5 last year for her strong opposition to the scrapping of Article 370, she said: “Preventing construction of a temple in Islamabad is antithetical to the idea of an Islamic welfare state model that gives religious freedom to all.”
Pakistan had halted the construction of the temple in Islamabad. An under-construction wall of the temple was demolished, though the Pakistani authorities had earlier approved the building plan for the Lord Krishna temple, of what was going to be the first temple in Islamabad.
Mehbooba lashed out at the Pakistan government for this act.
Mufti, whose secular credentials have often been challenged for her stand on preserving Article 370 and maintaining the Muslim-majority character of the erstwhile state of J&K, said while the opening of the Kartarpur corridor was appreciated, this move was “regressive”.
Her slamming Pakistan in public domain is significant for after the BJP had withdrawn support to her government in June 2018, she was dubbed as a sympathiser of Pakistan by her former ally.
The PDP and BJP had formed the government for a little over three years, starting with March 1, 2015, first under Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and later under Mehbooba Mufti in the chair of the Chief Minister.
