‘Betrays her unrepentant mindset on 2016 excesses’
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Chief Spokesperson and MLA Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq launched a scathing attack on PDP President Mehbooba Mufti over her alleged “bantahai” remark, saying it has ripped open the wounds of 2016 and exposed the PDP’s enduring mindset of justifying the brutal suppression of the people of Kashmir.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha, Sadiq said,“Mehbooba Mufti’s attempt to rationalise the use of force against Kashmiri protesters by casually portraying them as militants is not merely insensitive but a brazen endorsement of a policy that left thousands blinded, maimed and traumatised. For the mothers who lost their sons, the youth who lost their eyesight to pellets, and the families whose lives were shattered, there is nothing that ‘bantahai’ about state excesses. Such remarks amount to adding insult to injury.”
He said the statement has once again reminded the people of the PDP’s iron-fist legacy in 2016, when pellets, crackdowns and repression became the defining features of governance. “Instead of expressing remorse or seeking forgiveness for that dark chapter, Mehbooba Mufti has chosen to defend the indefensible. It reflects a disturbing lack of accountability and political contrition,” he added.
Sadiq said, “Those blinded by pellets are asking Mehbooba Mufti whether their suffering was also ‘bantahai’. The children who lost their parents, the parents who buried their young sons, and the thousands left scarred for life are all asking her the same question. Instead of remorse, she has chosen to justify one of the darkest chapters in Kashmir’s recent history. The people will never allow the truth of 2016 to be whitewashed.”
The NC chief spokesperson said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have not forgotten who presided over one of the most painful periods in the Valley’s recent history. “No amount of political posturing, selective outrage or revisionist narratives can erase the scars of 2016. History cannot be whitewashed through convenient rhetoric.”
He said leaders who once defended coercive measures against their own people have no moral authority to sermonise on justice, democracy or human rights today. “The people can clearly distinguish between genuine empathy and opportunistic politics. They will never allow those responsible for their suffering to rewrite history or escape accountability,” he added.